


IN THIS REALITY...

by Dreams_in_heart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Alteans, Alternate Realities, Angst, Cannon universe, Character Development, F/M, Fix-it fic, M/M, Post-Voltron, Season 8 continuity, Voltron closure, other relationship that i won't name until later, proper arcs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2019-09-24 12:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 71,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17100500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreams_in_heart/pseuds/Dreams_in_heart
Summary: This is 6 years after the war. Peace has come back to Earth, and the former paladins of Voltron have found their own little life. Except that strange elements come perturbing the relative calm that had installed. Concerning, for their reality.This is a continuity to the story of the Defenders of the Universe, a story about hope, determination, union, friendship, and even love.There is only one Voltron team, and only the whole team altogether will bring this story to an end.





	1. Soul of our Past

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Yes, Voltron ended. And we're all grieving.
> 
> I just want to say that, personally, I absolutely loved season 8, even despite some arcs that could have been more developped, and details that should have been dealt differently. I have a high respect for Voltron, and I won't change, erase or add any details from the cannon thing. So, this fiction is, like... season 9? 
> 
> I read critics about the show, I have critics about the show, and, if I won't change anything from the real show, I will bring a continuity and a closure to what the fandom and I found more... disappointing... Also, I will bring my point of view over some elements that fans were deceived about in the characters' point of view. 
> 
> I really hope that, overall, you've enjoyed season 8 and that you'll stick to the fandom. I have found a family in Voltron, and I don't want to lose it.
> 
> Love you all, and enjoy!

“Commander Shirogane, sir.”

“Good evening, lieutenant.”

The sound of boots clapping on the floor echoed in the corridor, announcing the commander’s going. Along his path, he received several salutes, to which he all replied politely. Over the years, the enthusiasm over his person had dissipated, but his reputation had only grown, giving him all respect and privileges he could wish for. As a former paladin of Voltron, he knew what it was to lead and win a fight, but over all, he knew how to find the peace in everyone’s heart.

Before he headed home, he walked to commander Holt’s office and knocked on the door; soon, it opened to a wise figure, who cracked a smile as he recognized his visitor. Sam Holt made way for Shiro and greeted him as an old friend; in some way, it was a relief for him.

“Hello, Sam,” he replied, his face calm and tone relaxed.

Sam looked way less worried too. There wasn’t an odd tension in his shoulder. He didn’t anxiously speak just of methods and battles. His smile came easier.

The war had worn everyone out, but it had exhausted Sam; first, his abduction and forced work for the Galras, then the worry of never seeing his children again, and soon, the fate of the whole universe relying on whether or not his technologies and theories worked… It left marks impossible to erase, but it also gave a new taste for existence, a fresh breath when all was over.

“I’m glad you came, but don’t worry,” Sam affirmed gently. “The teludav technology is ready to go. Our recent issues, whatever they were, are fixed and won’t bother anyone again.”

“You still don’t know what could have caused them?” Shiro inquired.

He trusted Sam, but the problems that some pilots had encountered using the teludav were curious, concerning, even.

Sam’s tone was bitter;

“My best scientists and myself have looked for it restlessly, but our researches were inconclusive,” he answered. “Our best theory is that the planets in that system were radiating incompatible energy emissions with our technologies, which changed the trajectory of the ship… a few star systems further…” he sighed.

Shiro nodded thoughtfully; he would always remember the general panic when they had lost track of a cargo ship, a few months ago, in direction of planet Taujeer. Keith had had to report his mission when it had reappeared on their tracking devices, almost too far for the activation of the teludav.

“Don’t worry, we’re proceeding more carefully,” Sam reassured. “Besides, we’ve never encounter these difficulties while travelling to Altea.”

Shiro chuckled;

“I trust you, Sam. I have to go, now, or Curtis will worry for me.”

Sam laughed;

“See you tomorrow!” he said as Shiro made his way out.

 

As he opened the door of their house, Shiro shouted;

“It’s me! I’m home!”

“Takashi!” Curtis joyfully exclaimed, and then he patted the seat besides him.

Shiro smiled and dropped his bag on the floor. Pushing it with his foot, he yawned and walked to his husband, sighing happily. 

Over the years, a calm life had installed, a reassuring existence. Throughout his youth, he had spent days and nights imagining what was beyond the stars, dreaming of becoming an elite pilot, an officer, maybe. And the Garrison had offered him that chance. 

But then, his illness had caught him, and, falling into despair, he had prayed almost madly for an occasion to see space, to pilot a ship by himself into the infinite abyss, a chance that could only happen once in a lifetime. However, he didn’t have a lifetime. 

It was his biggest dream, and it had been granted, but it also had brought him pain and loss and grief, and his wonder for space had changed into a secret dread and struggle against his own mind. He had a lot of self control, but he couldn’t keep on forever trying to maintain that image of fearless hero who flies between the stars. His dream had been shattered by the trauma of all hatred, tears and constant fear he had endured through his journey into space. 

But then, he wouldn’t forget it if he had the chance. He took on his decisions and his acts with pride, and he would never erase the path he had taken, even if he had made some mistakes, even if his choice had brought the loss of his fiancé…

No, he couldn’t think like that. If he hadn’t gone, Earth maybe wouldn’t have survived to the Galras. If he hadn’t gone, he would still have his illness, and surely wouldn’t be alive today. If he hadn’t gone, he wouldn’t have discovered the beauties of all unknown planets, he wouldn’t have met all the amazing people he had met along his way. He wouldn’t have found a peace for himself and for his people, he wouldn’t have found a family.

The bonds that one can grow with their crew are unimaginable. Shiro already knew Keith and thought of him as a determined man with true potential within, that only patience and acceptance could unlock. He had tried to be like a brother for him, so the boy could open his wings without doubts holding him down. Shiro had seen himself in Keith, he had seen how many walls there were for him to destroy. Walls of fear. Walls of anger. Walls of worries. All the walls that everyone was reinforcing around him because of who he was. Shiro had lived through the same, and was told many times to let go. If he couldn’t help himself, he had thought, he was determined never to give up on the young man. 

He had heard about Pidge, too, as Katie Holt. Sam Holt always described her as smart and stubborn, but it was from his own vision of her that he had learnt the most. Anyone could witness the determination and intelligence in Pidge’s acts, but only a few would truly see her passion and her doubts. Since the moment he had opened his heart for her, she had given all her energy and her motivation in every mission, and she if she doubted her own dreams, she never had doubted him. 

As one of the chief pilots back then, he had followed Hunk’s and Lance’s progress in the Garrison, but hadn’t learnt more about them until Blue had taken them to the Castle of Lions. Before Shiro knew better, he had found that Hunk wasn’t adventurous enough to be part of the program, but as he piloted the yellow lion, he discovered how strong and courageous he could be for the team. He had been really impressed to see how the young man, despite his gentle and sensible nature, would always charge straight into danger when the team needed someone to have their back. Shiro had a great respect for Hunk.

As for Lance, Shiro had had a hard time to see through him; the boy had shown much control of the blue lion, if we consider it was the first time that he piloted an engine faster than any Earth technology, but then, he had presented quite a goofy part of himself. Shiro had seen soon enough that he was hiding a much deeper personality, a much more selfless one, full of empathy and anxieties for about anyone. He always looked out for every member of the team and never gave up on them, no matter how deep into madness and despair they were. He had been so important for the team, and Shiro highly estimated him.

Then, they had met Coran and Allura as the last Alteans still alive. Even though he hadn’t known much about Alteans, their power never ceased to impress him, and of course their abilities were outstanding. However, it was as persons that Shiro valued them the most; Coran had been an undying source of stories and tools, and there wasn’t a time where he had given up on any of the team members, even when they couldn’t seem to just get on with each other. He was highly protective and attached to every single one of them, especially Allura.

And Allura… thinking about her, it just reminded him how courageous and strong she was, how passionated and determined to make the universe a better place, to bring back what had been lost. Freedom and peace as her motives, it made of the princess an incredible fighter, an open and good soul. 

She deserved to see how she changed the universe. She deserved a place in the peace she had installed.

Shiro let himself fall besides Curtis and pulled him closer to him. His husband curled up against him and rested his head on his shoulder. Serenity filled his heart.

When Iverson first presented him the crew for the Atlas, he had been surprised with his choice of fighters. But then, he had been quite impressed by Curtis’ strength and composure with all the battles they had to fight. He had put his entire trust in the man, and would always find him ready for action, ready to make things right, and had fell for his love in every form of life. It had taken half a year before he had made the first move, and never would he have thought finding such happiness and passion after… well, after his first love. Sometimes, he would still think about Adam, but Curtis reminded him that everyone has a chance to live again. He was as happy as he could ever be with his marriage.

Curtis sighed; 

“You’ll come back in one piece, will you?” he asked softly.

Shiro chuckled;

“I’ll be careful not to lose by other arm,” he promised.

The sufferance he had endured in space may have left him weary and tired of battles, but he had gotten out of them wiser, with a whole new perception of life. Never would he stop fighting for goodness, but now, he wasn’t torn apart the sky and the ground; even when the stars were high in the sky, he knew they would still shine when he would decide to reach for them again. He had just stopped a war, and wasn’t ready to be involved in another one anytime soon.

 

Closing the door behind him, Hunk closed his eyes and sighed of content. As the main chef of culinary empire, surrounded by the smell of cooking, he was living a peaceful existence, calm and passionate.

He didn’t know what he could ask more; since the war ended, he had surrounded himself with the things he liked and the ones he loved. As a kid, he always had loved cooking with his mother and repairing engines with his father, and that was what had influenced his choice as a teenager. Fighting had never been part of his plan.

When he had entered the Garrison, it had been as a mechanist, an engineer, but with the turn of events, he had become a pilot and a fighter inside the most powerful weapon of the universe, for a war that wasn’t even his, at the beginning. And don’t get him wrong; if it was to do all over again, he would never change a single thing. Except how it ended. 

These adventures, they brought him much more than any other experiences he could have lived in his whole life. And he wasn’t talking about fame, or higher ranks in the society. His perception of existence had been transformed drastically when he had seen the infinity of space, of life, of universe. And, under the wars and the hatred, there was happiness hidden, union, friendship, love, family… He hadn’t only fought for peace, he had fought for these, and he had found them. Found a family.

Despite his reluctance for battles, it was with nostalgia that he thought about his time with Voltron. He missed Yellow, he missed his friends. It was a bittersweet relief when, each year, they could all reunite under Allura’s statue and just… be together. Remember the time when they “bonded” together, when they joked around to forget the pressure of the fate of the universe on their shoulder, when they were a team. 

Each year, it was as whole as the team could be.

Otherwise, they didn’t see each other much. Slowly, each one’s path had pulled them away from each other, and it was very rare that the sev… that the six of them hung out all together. Coran being on Altea, it left just five of them, and even then, Keith was often leaving Earth to help Krolia and Kolivan on Daibazaal or to extend his humanitarian relief to other races than human. They all had their responsibilities…

Sure, he would run into Shiro now and then. They would give up their titles and speak as old friends. He would catch up with Lance and Pidge as often as he could, and surprisingly, Keith came to see him a few times a month. But it wasn’t the same. They didn’t travel together anymore, they didn’t train together anymore, they didn’t eat together anymore. 

They didn’t fly around the whole universe to preserve peace anymore.

Hunk took a deep inspiration and smiled.

Now, he was still preserving peace. In a way that was his own, in a way that made him leave the fear behind. His family was by his side, the Earth and its people were flourishing, and his friend were there. They just didn’t see each other as often, that’s all.

The kitchen’s door opened, and his smile softened; Shay’s figure stood out in the frame.

“The meals for our commercial meeting with planet Puig are over,” she announced with a grin, “and our contribution for the annual feast on Krell is ready to be sent over there. We’re waiting for your signal, chef.”

Shay had ended her sentence on a teasing tone. Hunk smiled;

“You’re as competent as me to lead our empire, Shay.”

She blinked, and her expression softened.

“What were you doing here?” she inquired, observing the table full of holograms and recipes. 

“I took a quick look for the orders I’ll pass on to you this week,” he replied, holding out his hand.

Shay grabbed it, laughing;

“It is an honour, chef,” she said.

Hunk’s eyes glittered;

“Be careful for what you wish for,” he warned. “Luckily for you, it enters your chords; Balmera has contacted us.”

Shay smiled;

“Thank you, Hunk. I’ll honour your reputation by making the most amazing balmeran feast you could wish for.”

“You know that I don’t care about my reputation…”

She giggled and walked to the door. 

“Wait! I have one more order,” Hunk shouted rapidly.

Shay slowly turned around and suspiciously walked towards him, eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Oh? From whom?”

Hunk smiled slyly. Pidge’s influence definitely rubbed off on him.

“From me. Can I have a kiss, please?”

Shay let out a pure and genuine laugh before getting closer to him to give him a small peck on his cheek;

“Now, will you get back to work so we can have our night together?” she asked, looking fondly at him. “I know you have to prepare for tomorrow, and I want to lay besides you under the stars until then, not standing there imagining which ones you see…”

Hunk shook his head, impressed;

“You know, it’s only a few days. And we’re not going in for war, only for remembrance.”

“I know…” she sighed, pressing his shoulder. “But we never know what tragedy can happen, even under the most beautiful sky…”

“I’m aware of that more than anyone else,” he reassured with a chuckle. “It won’t be long, I promise. Besides, I don’t see which sky can be more amazing than the one I’m looking at with you…”

 

“This is Keith Kogane, returning from the Taujeer mission, broadcasting to the Galaxy Garrison, do you copy?”

The static filled his device for a second, and then, a voice answered:

“Copy that. What’s your position?”

“Entering the Solar System now.”

“Copy that. Atmosphere’s clear, main landing runway at the Garrison’s clear, broadcast when entering the atmosphere.”

“Copy that.”

Opening a line with his crew, Keith announced:

“We’ll arrive on Earth in ten doboshes, good job, guys, you did great.”

There was a murmur of agreement and a few worried whispers. Keith had a sad smile: his crew was a lot more quiet than the Voltron team.

Since the war ended, he had fought to change thousands years old traditions of weapon in the Blade of Marmora into an empathetic organization of humanitarian relief. And, slowly, it became not only human, but universe wide help for difficult situations in which any species could be left in. 

The transition hadn’t been easy, but it was with pride that Keith looked back at his progress; most of the members left in the Blade (some of them had gone back with the Galras when his mother and Kolivan were announced representatives) had accepted the changes with relief. Warriors in the soul, they had had to find another cause to fight for, and after ten thousand years of war, a softer and more peaceful motive was worth all the time they had lost. 

However, they didn’t have his team’s enthusiasm. The Blade of Marmora, they had suffered for too long, and they were Galran, of course. Keith himself knew how hard it was to let go, how hard it was to live for the moment. They were serious in their work, but… sometimes, it was too serious, too solemn. And Keith knew very well he wasn’t the best example.

He wasn’t their leader. At least, not officially. But his crew, they respected him and plainly accepted his authority, and they followed him in every mission. And that was part of the problem: he had the feeling that everyone bowed in front of him; that he had allies, but no friends.

Sincerely, he missed his team. He missed their energy, their passion and their optimism. He missed the inside jokes, the special bond with each of them, he missed their time. He tried to go see them as often as he could, and he apprehended as much as he looked forward to their annual bittersweet reunion. 

And now, he was going home.

Keith watched the constellations as he passed them; he flew near enough from Saturn to see the composure of its rings. As the angry young boy he had been, he would have tried to fly through the asteroids, knowing deep within him that it was a too dangerous maneuver to be worth the risks. He chuckled for himself; he had gone a long way since that time.

He wasn’t that loner boy anymore. He wasn’t restless and angry at the world for the solitude and the dark fog he was left in. He didn’t surround himself of false enemies and he didn’t push away the people he was now close to. 

Actually, he was wondering, now, if the time was right to pay a visit to his team. Yes, he would meet them at the Garrison on the following day, but he felt like, as their former leader and just as a friend, it would be good to personally make sure that each of them were fine, satisfied and at ease with the life they chose. 

His crew and he passed Mars, and soon, thanks to the advanced engines they were flying, they were able to see Earth on the horizon. To see pure blue and green, after the acidic landscape and constant smoke of Taujeer, was such an inspirational view that Keith immediately calmed down. Finally, even though they had made two jumps with the teludav, they were coming back home. Safely, and in one piece.

When he would make his report, he should ask about the teludav. They couldn’t risk losing whole cargos and crew members as the last time they used it.

Keith opened communication with Earth and said:

“This is Keith Kogane, broadcasting to the Galaxy Garrison, entering Earth atmosphere on your signal, do you copy?”

“Copy. Landing’s runway is safe, on your mark.”

“Copy that. Entering Earth atmosphere now, see you there.”

 

Whistling cheerfully, Pidge closed the door to her room and fell on her bed, finally relaxing the tension in her shoulders. All day long, she had worked at the Garrison with her brother, trying to educate the next generation of scientists, pilots and fighters…

She was under the obligation to train them. How was she supposed to do that!? Yes, she was the former paladin of the green lion, but still… Her thing wasn’t fighting and weapons, though she became pretty fierce and concentrated in battles. But it wasn’t the point: if the war had been won, it was thanks to the Coalition, to the team, to each of them’s strengths. And hers was science. She was the brain of the team, not the weapon or the muscle. 

It didn’t mean that she wasn’t strong, or that she hadn’t piloted well. But, let’s say that patience wasn’t her best trait either, and that sharing things that others would have been better to do, and that she knew it perfectly, was more draining that it seemed.

But it was necessary, and with her brother, she had a lot more fun than what she would have expected; they would recruit more and more people, then they would share their experiences and teach them about cracking codes and fighting with the power of their brains before the strength of their arms, and it went on. They had worked a short time with the MFE fighters, just after the end of the war, to complete their knowledge on space and technologies, and now, with them, they trained more kids that wanted to grow head in the stars.

What Pidge preferred, however, were the times where she had access to the labs. There, she could work beside her father and often her mother on computers, theories and scientific reactions. On those times, she also worked on personal projects and improved techniques or technologies she was given. If she was passionated about something, it was science.

Pidge sighed, at ease. She still lived with her family, and sincerely, she was relieved; they had borne so much separations and tears that leaving each other now felt worthless. She was happy with her life.

Of course, it didn’t mean that she didn’t regret Voltron. They were her second family, they were all so much important to her. But she secretly feared that, if Voltron reunited, it would be to drive back another war. She was torn apart between two families. 

There was a knock on her door;

“Katie, there is someone here for you!” her mother shouted.

Pidge frowned, and then she got up from her bed with a wince. She got out of her room, nodding to her mom as she passed beside her and walked to the hall. There, there was… 

“Hey, Keith!” she said, surprised, but glad. “What’s up?”

“Hi, Pidge,” he replied, and a smile formed on his face, giving him a much softer air than at Voltron’s time. “I’m sorry to bother you, I didn’t think it would be this late when I came back on Earth. I went to see Shiro first, after my report, and I’ve still got a few more visits to pay, so, well, that’s why I couldn’t see you earlier…”

A second passed before Pidge understood what he was talking about;

“Oh, that’s right! Your mission on Taujeer!” She exclaimed. “So, how did it go?”

“A lot better than what we’ve expected,” Keith answered. “The Taujeerians begged us to help them. They still thank Voltron to have saved them, when you helped them evacuate on a nearby moon,” he chuckled. “Remember, when…”

“When a Galran commander had tried to let them drown in acid after he left them on their dying planet? Yeah,” Pidge laughed. “I remember. You were there too, you know?”

“Well, after I flew away from the Castle with Allura because of my little identity crisis…” he retorted. “You guys did the most job.”

Pidge grinned, but it was tainted with sadness; Keith was talking about his expedition, recalling memories from when Voltron was a whole, an entity, and it only reminded her of how much she missed her missions with them.

“We didn’t have problems with the teludav, this time,” continued Keith with a small frown, “so the cargo ship arrived safely, along with the crew, but as we still don’t understand how it is that the teludav made such a jump the first time, it could bring a lot more complications…”

Pidge shook her head;

“Yeah, my father’s still working on it…” she assured. 

She remembered very well the conversations she’d heard; her father was frustrated that he couldn’t find any way to repair whatever system had broken in that jump, much less any reason for the error. He felt responsible for every problem that the pilots could encounter with the teludav, since he was the one to have designed it. He didn’t want to show it, but he was actually more worried than what he assured about it: he didn’t think that the radiations emitted by a planet could actually redirect a whole trajectory as the teludav is activated, but if it wasn’t it, what was it?

Keith’s shoulders relaxed;

“I know, and I trust what he would do…”

Pidge smiled, trying to reassure herself as much as Keith;

“Then, you’re ready for tomorrow’s jump?” she beamed.

She was quite happy to reunite with the team, but the circumstances were of course darkening what should be a joyous meeting as friends. There would always be a hole in their family, a hole that couldn’t be filled with a ceremony. These were just a question of honour.

Keith’s smile turned sadder;

“Of course…”

 

Laying on the grass, he observed the constellations; if he lost himself in the stars, he had the impression to be in space again, to see a different system. But as soon as he thought he’d recognized it, he woke with a start on the same hard ground.

It wasn’t that the sky wasn’t beautiful; only, Lance had been so far beyond that he felt like he’d lost a part of himself each time he raised his head to see only the same stars. He knew how wide, how open space was, but now, he felt trapped, unable to break the chains that refrained him from taking flight into it, from finding back the stars he had let behind. 

Despite welcoming several alien species, the Earth seemed, to him, isolated, lost in some part of space that no one ever wanted to explore. Far from the wars, far from the dread, but also far from the beauties.

Each day, he felt further from himself.

During every moment, back in Voltron’s time, he had missed his home. Missed his planet. Missed the rain, missed the calm, missed his family. Wasn’t he supposed to be happy, now that he was with them? No matter if the sun was shining or if the clouds were hiding its rays, shouldn’t he be relieved, not to have the fate of the universe on his shoulders?

Maybe there was something that he missed about space, too. The more time advanced, the more empty his life felt. Sure, sometimes his friends came visiting him. But then, over the months, the growing feeling of solitude and nostalgia cut the bonds with his present, shutting him more and more from his new existence, from his home.

That’s not like he wanted to leave Earth forever. God no. It was his home. But then, even here, he felt empty. Something was missing, like if, when he looked up at the stars, a whole constellation had been removed from the sky. Earth had changed so much, and at the same time so little, that everywhere he went, it reminded him of the path he had given up and of the lives he couldn’t see. There was too much, and too little.

It hadn’t been like that ever since the end of the war. At the beginning, he had borne the grief of Allura’s sacrifice. Allura… 

It had taken years, Deca-Phoebs, as she would have said, of pushing away their feelings because of the war, before at last, they had been able to spend one peaceful evening together… Lance had been so proud, so amazed, when he had presented her to his family, and had felt so in love… Then, walking in the park under the stars, giving life in that tree, holding hands, a kiss… All of that, only in one night.

The only one they had together. 

And now, it was over. Forever. Never would he see her again.

He had thought that, if he absorbed himself into simple things, living a peaceful life, surrounded by his family, he would have felt Allura. After all, all of their worlds, their timeline, their realities, they were all made of her energy, her passion. She was, literally, their universe. His universe.

He had thought that, eventually, his tears would stop flowing. The flowers would flourish in his heart, he would find a will again. But it hadn’t happened that way. 

In fact, it was quite the opposite. He had given too much water to the flowers, in hopes to see them grow, and now, he was drained from all his sources, and the flowers had withered.

All alone, Lance scoffed. No matter how hard he tried to put metaphors on his degeneration, it would still stay hard and dry despair. 

A simple life… A simple life, far from the drama and the wars, into a beautiful landscape, taking care of the little farm and his family… Normally, he would have enjoyed living with this. It would have been sufficient. He would have been satisfied, he would have felt like he had deserved it. But it wasn’t the case, was it?

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, refraining emotions to pour out of his heart; yes, at the beginning, he had thought that, after fighting for freedom, after winning a war that had lasted ten thousands years, he had thought that he would deserve a simple life, a part of peace for himself. But now, he realized that he hadn’t done much for his team, no matter how hard he had tried to keep spirits high. He would be easily replaced. In fact, he was surprised that Keith, when the occasion had presented, hadn’t gotten rid of him. It would have been easy, to say that the lions had chosen their paladins, and that he just didn’t fit anymore. 

Even now, while all the paladins were making a difference, were still changing the world into a better place, all he did was getting care of his own little farm, of his own family. What about all of the other’s family, what about all the other planets?

At the times he was in the team, he had felt useless, but since he had withdrawn from the drama, he was feeling hypocrite, selfish.

Lance took a deep breath and sighed, loosening the despair’s grip from his soul and opening himself to the world, to his surroundings;

Suddenly, he felt like he had plunged into space; literally, darkness surrounded him, a darkness speckled with bright spots, just as the stars. As a matter of facts, they were the stars, stars that Lance had already seen, from a system far away. He could hear and feel, with more lucidity and realism than ever, the vibrations of a ship under his feet, the reassuring grip on its commands in his hands. He was grinning like a fool, awfully excited, while he slyly took advantage of a small asteroid to gain speed while another ship diverted in catastrophe its trajectory. He burst out laughing, purely elated. The adrenaline in his veins didn’t come from dread: it came from the enthusiasm of their drive.

He hit the ground hard and brutally opened his eyes, gasping, trying to recover from what felt like a fall into the abyss. Panicked, he vehemently turned his head, looking around to find the source of his vision; but, like a dream, as the seconds passed without anything showing up, the images faded, and soon, only a faint feeling of excitement was left in his mind. It was such a change from the weary emptiness dwelling in him that it was almost a relief.

Almost. The fact that he didn’t know where it came from was almost as painful.

Again, almost.

He was about to lay down again when a voice, coming from the house, disturbed the silence of the night and made him jump almost as badly as his sudden woke;

“Lance! Lance, honey,” called his mother, “there is someone here for you!”

His heart rate calming down a bit, he recovered most of his composure and, taking a deep inspiration, he shouted: 

“What? In the middle of the night?”

The response didn’t wait long;

“It’s only ten, sweetie…”

“Still…” he retorted, frowning, “who is inconsiderate enough to knock at people’s door at ten p.m?”

He dragged his feet along to the back of his house. His mother was standing in front of the patio door, hands on her hips, a pinched look on her face;

“Now,” she scolded, frowning as well, “you shouldn’t speak like that of anyone, Lance. Especially not of your friends… I thought you liked him…”

“Him? Who?”

They stepped inside, walking side by side to their little hall. There, standing awkwardly, but with a small smile on his face, there was…

“Keith?”


	2. The Return of our Pride

The time he got back from the kitchen, his sister was deep in a conversation with his former leader, showing off and sharing suspenseful anecdotes with a fair amount of false modesty - as only the McClains could do. Lance couldn’t help but feel a hint of irritation, mixed with amusement and resignation. 

He laid down a cup of tea in front of Keith, and earned a grateful smile from the young man. Keith was wearing simple clothes and his hair fell freely on his shoulders, slightly wet, as if he had taken a shower not so long ago. His mullet was far in the past, now, along with several details that had made Keith untameable. Out of reach of a friendly hand.

However, the changes were simply due to the course of life, and they were surprisingly comforting; he was more relaxed, softer, more peaceful and open. The harshness seemed gone from his eyes. 

Nevertheless, his old nature still caught up with him; while he replied politely to Veronica’s advances, his eyes screamed for an escape to the situation that was becoming more and more embarrassing for him. Veronica was perfectly aware of it, and slyly toyed with his awkwardness. Lance refrained a laugh, and instead gave a discreet blow on his sister’s shoulder on his way back to the kitchen. 

As the years passed, his sister became more and more of a grown woman. True, she already was older than him, but Lance had taken a long time to accept her dangerous lifestyle. But he still wasn’t used to seeing her bringing home… men.

Way to speak, because she never had come back with a man, or a woman, which would be totally fine too. But she became more and more serious about getting involved in a relationship, even if she, as a McClain, could be super flirty with pretty much anybody. And after what he had lived through, he couldn’t quite bring himself to let her go and feel even a fraction of the pain he was bearing.

In a way, seeing his dear sister flirting with… Keith… even though he knew she was indirectly teasing him, was a lot worse than with a stranger. And it wasn’t because of Keith; he was a serious and kind guy, who would never deceive anyone. And he would eventually accept Veronica’s independence and maturity. In fact, if Lance didn’t like the idea of a relationship between his sister and his friend, he couldn’t explain why he was so uneasy with it, so pained. Maybe he just acted as an overprotective brother, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling of anguish that ripped his heart. Besides, wouldn’t it complicate things between himself and Keith? 

Lance sadly shook his head, and then, taking a deep inspiration, grabbed the teapot and made his way to the table, on which he put it down. Keith sent him a look in which relief and joy softly swirled together. Responding with an amused smile, Lance stayed silent and stood right next to his sister, until, out of annoyance, she turned to him;

“You didn’t bring me a cup?” she asked, pouting.

Taking a small sip of his own tea, Lance replied:

“Nope. Yours is in the kitchen. Meaning you’re not invited to listen to our conversation.”

Veronica blinked, unimpressed, before cracking a smirk;

“You’re so resentful!” she said, laughing, with a mischievous glitter in her eyes. 

She got up nonetheless, and, with a wink, she whistled:

“Have fun, you two!”

Lance watched her leave the room, frowning, and then grabbed a seat to face Keith with an apologetic smile;

“I excuse my sister,” he blurted out. “But then, you’ve already gotten used to a McClain’s act, so you must not be so surprised…”

“Actually…” Keith chuckled. Now that Veronica was gone, he had relaxed, and his smile seemed more genuine. “No, I’m the one to apologize; I shouldn’t bother you and your family so late.”

Lance shrugged and shook it off;

“Nah, it’s alright. As long as you don’t make too much noise: you’d wake the monsters.”

Keith frowned, and then his eyes lightened up;

“Your nephews?” he inquired, a soft expression on his face. “They’re not monsters! They’re too cute.”

Lance scoffed, but he knew that Keith meant his words;

The first time Keith had come to visit him on the farm, it was a few days after Allura’s first ceremony. Her loss, on top of the team’s parting, had gotten Lance completely wretched, and none of what he could do took off the weight from his heart – a weight that dragged him deeper into the depressing abyss of his own mind. Deprived from any source of light, darkness tightened its stifling grip around his life, blinding him from the serenity and the joy he would have found in the simple existence he had retired into. 

But to see Keith, his former leader and old rival Keith, his teammate and friend Keith, the Keith that’s always got his back showing up on his own will, that was a surprise – a surprise and a relief. 

And he liked to think that Keith had felt the same about his visit; Lance had been alerted of his presence by the reedy laughters of his nephews. He had rushed into their direction, until he had stopped, stunned, by the view of a surprised, but soft Keith replying hesitantly to the kids’ animated speeches. When he had seen Lance, his smile had gotten brighter, and it was only as he had walked closer to him that he noticed the dark rings under his eyes. 

He had learnt later that Keith had come to check on him, to offer him a comforting presence, a friendly hand in that chaos. His nephews had absolutely loved him, and they had made quite an impression on him too. It was only when he was gone that Lance realized how much lighter he felt. 

“Yeah,” he admitted fondly, “but now, they use the fact that they’re teenagers to excuse their grumpiness early in the morning.” Lance took a sip of his tea, and, pointing at Keith’s cup, added: “I would’ve offered you coffee, but since you’ll probably want to go to bed after that, I thought that tea would be more appropriate.”

Keith shook his head, smiling;

“Actually, I’m more of a tea guy myself, so there’s absolutely no harm done,” he declared. “In fact, I shouldn’t even take such advantage of your hospitality; I was just passing by, making sure you were alright…”

“Wait, you’re not staying for the night?” Lance exclaimed, ignoring his slight blush and his little heart flip at Keith’s last words. “We have a spare room, if you’d like.”

Keith blinked, truly surprised;

“Well, thank you very much for the offer,” he said, embarrassed. “But… no, I… I’ve got a few things left to deal with before… before…”

His mood dropped;

“Before the Allura’s ceremony,” Lance finished gloomily. 

A small silence settled between them. Keith was uncomfortably staring down at his cup. He sighed;

“God, I can’t believe it’s only been six years!” 

“Yeah…” Lance murmured. “Six years…”

For him, the years had dragged along endlessly, weighing him down with weariness, despite his young age. His hand unconsciously went to the Altean markings on his cheeks; he had never understood how Allura had passed them unto him or why she had done so. They reminded him of her so much it hurted, and he had ended up by avoiding mirrors as much as he could.

If she was there, would she be able to answer his questions? To reassure him? Lance couldn’t go on a day in his life without second thoughts; he was stuck on a never ending circle of mourning Allura and despairing for a small bit of serenity with himself; he was less and less sure of belonging here, but how would he explain that he’d never fit anywhere? He couldn’t possibly consider himself Altean either…

He had seen the depths of the universe, and he knew how wide and exciting it was; however, he didn’t feel like it had a place for him. He didn’t even own who he was. 

 

Despite the early hour, the boarding room at the Garrison was full of noise, noises that didn’t help Shiro’s migraine. Engineers were agitated, preparing the ship for boarding, a ship that would bring the former paladins of Voltron far in their universe. 

In fact, their mission was less exciting than what the world seemed to think; of course, Shiro was impatient to meet with his team, to see Coran again, to step on Altea and feel its serenity running in his veins to his heart and soul, to be as close as possible to Allura. But their journey wouldn’t be driven by adrenaline; only the idea of it was tainted with sadness and nostalgia.

Sam Holt was attentively watching the preparations, and for a second, Shiro considered going to talk to him; Sam looked tired, and even if he had tried to reassure him about the teludav, Shiro could see that there was more going on than what he had let through. However, he didn’t want to bother him on the subject: he suspected Sam’s shoulder to be already heavy enough without more pressure from his part. Besides, he knew that the scientist wouldn’t send them through his technology if it was too risky. And, as his old crew member from the Kerberos mission and his friend, he trusted him with his life.

Refraining a wince, Shiro pressed his hand on his forehead, bitterly wondering where his headache could have come from. It was quite obvious that the night he had spent hadn’t helped much;

Besides Keith’s surprising visit late in the evening (he was dozing on Curtis’ shoulder when they had heard a knock on the door), which had brought delight, but also difficulty to go to bed afterwards, falling asleep had been impossible. He had apprehended so much the following day that even his agitated dreams, once his mind had at last turned off, had foreseen the most concerning turn of event possible. It hadn’t calmed his worries for sure.

But that wasn’t the most exhausting part; at some point, in the night, his dreams had been interrupted, brutally, as if the Earth had suddenly stopped turning. But he hadn’t been stuck in the dark; lucidity kicked in his system, and his vision had lightened up: it was with pure horror that he had recognized the room in which the Galras had mad experiments on him, so many years ago.

Panicked, he had struggled to get out of his chains, only to hear the cruel laugh of his enemies. An unbearable fear had flown in his veins while he went back into the worst nightmare he’d ever lived.

Except… Shiro had been having so much of vivid nightmares about that scene that now, he knew every detail by heart, and this time, something had been different. Like if it wasn’t exactly him who was living it. Him, but into a slightly different stage.

This dream could mean nothing. Shiro was well aware he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and that sometimes, dreadful moments from his past still came messing with his mind. However, that didn’t seem like a memory, or a sequel from the disorder; it felt more real, more vivid, as if he was really living it. But how could he, if he had slept in his bed all night long?

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind him;

“Good morning, Commander Shirogane!”

Shiro turned around, to see James Griffin standing there, a formal smile on his face.

“Oh, hello, James!” he greeted kindly.

He relaxed the tension in his shoulders, erasing the hints of worry and pain from his face. He didn’t want to overwhelm the young man with his own sadness.

“Taking off to space for a mission, Commander?” James inquired.

Shiro could see the excitement in his eyes, the excitement to witness a retired hero going for an adventure again. He realized how much people looked up to him, and suddenly he wished, especially now that he had to deceive James, that he hadn’t gained such influence on others.

He shook his head with reluctance while admitting:

“In fact, my teammates and I are going to Altea, in remembrance of Allura’s sacrifice for all universes…” 

“Oh, yeah…” James blurted out as the realization struck him. His mood sank a little, and it was with more reserve that he added: “I’m sorry, I forgot…”

Shiro chuckled, but he felt his heart squeeze painfully;

“There’s no need to apologize,” he assured.

A small silence settled, and despite James’ attempts to look casual, it was obvious that there was nothing left to say. Shiro was pained to see so much awkwardness between them, despite everything they’d been through. 

They heard footsteps approaching, and Shiro watched with a smile Keith coming towards them;

“Hi Shiro!” he beamed, 

“Hey, Keith, glad you arrived in time,” Shiro teased, knowing perfectly he was the one early.

Keith looked fresh, calm, even though he must not have gone to bed before midnight.

“Have you even slept?” Keith asked, frowning with concern.

Shiro shook it off.

Then, he noticed how tensed James looked; his face, usually teasing and open, had hardened into a cold mask of indifference. 

Keith must have sensed it too, because his smile slowly faded away. Stiffening lightly, he nodded towards James, who replied with the exact rigid movement;

“Kogane,” he said on a neutral tone.

“Griffin,” Keith answered on the same voice.

They bore each other’s glare for a few more second, and then, James looked away;

“Well, my best wishes for you, Commander, for you and the whole crew!”

As he walked away, Shiro sent an interrogative look to Keith, who just shrugged, looking puzzled.

“Haven’t you two discussed?” whispered Shiro, curious. “Do you still hold grudge against each other?”

Keith shook his head;

“I don’t know…” he said hesitantly. “It’s been so long…”

He sighed;

“Sometimes, the best way to deal with things is to let them go…”

Shiro nodded, even though he didn’t entirely agree with Keith’s words.

“Hey, Shiro, Keith!” 

Both of them turned in the voice’s direction, and they waved as Pidge, Hunk and Lance came towards them, racing between workers and causing annoyed grunts on their way. Shiro was caught between amusement and despair: the former paladins of Voltron, heroes throughout all realities, adults in their twenties, grinning like fools and acting like children… 

He was glad to see them; even though Pidge worked at the Garrison, he didn’t see her as often as one could think, and Hunk and Lance rarely came to visit the place…

“Good morning, team!” exclaimed Shiro, smiling softly as they all reunited.

“Hey Shiro! Long time no see!” happily replied Hunk as he warmly shook his hand. “Can’t say the same about Keith, though,” he added, smiling wide at the man.

Keith shrugged, but he chuckled lightly as the others snickered;

“If you can’t appreciate a friendly visit from your leader…” he jested, and even Shiro was surprised by Keith’s revival.

“Well, your choice of words actually prove that you’re considering us as your personal slaves,” retorted Pidge, sending him a sly look. 

Keith froze, stunned;

“That wasn’t what I meant!” he yelled, desperately. “Guys, you’re all…”

“Geez, calm down, Keith, she didn’t mean it,” Lance chimed in, smirking.

Shiro was glad to hear no trace of mockery in his tone, and he wondered when the two of them had gotten closer.

At that moment, a piercing shrill echoed from the speakers, and all people in the room jumped, bringing their hands to their ears as they winced at the sound. Shiro let out a small painful yelp: it surely didn’t help to his migraine.

Matt’s voice came blasting into the speakers:

“Are the paladins ready for boarding?!” 

Pidge groaned as she hid her face into her hands, but the rest of them burst out laughing; they weren’t the only ones to disturb other’s work.

“Aye aye, cap’tain!” shouted Lance, grinning widely.

Only then, Shiro noticed the dark rings under his eyes. He wondered if Lance was really as happy as he let through. 

“Then get in the ship and fly to space!” Pidge’s brother exclaimed, and a faint voice could be heard from behind him; “Please, sir, give us back the microphone…”

The team proceeded; the ship, bearing the Garrison’s colours, was small and simple. It wasn’t an engine made for war, but more for political meetings and peace offerings. A crew would have been assigned to fly the paladins, but Shiro had insisted that they were all able to control a ship and that it would be nice for all of them to feel the controls under their hands again.

They stepped in the ship, and as the doors closed on them, Matt added on an overdramatic tone:

“Take care of my little sister!”

Pidge rolled her eyes, but a soft smile formed on her lips, causing a few chuckles among the team. 

“Runway clear, ready for takeoff.”

The engineers must have regained control of their microphone, because it wasn’t Matt’s cheerful voice that echoed through the ship’s speakers, but a serious and deeper tone.

As if they could read each other’s thoughts, the five paladins took place, each of them ensuring a position specific to their abilities. Of course, they knew that all of them could control an engine just fine, but as only one pilot could be in command of this one, they left the main commands to Shiro without hesitating.

Shiro fondly watched his crew, a feeling of serenity filling his mind as he fell into his element again. He was tired of the wars and the loss, and he plainly enjoyed a more peaceful existence with a husband he loved, but he couldn’t help but miss the times where he would live the bond with his teammates as they fought together. 

His teammates. His friends. His family.

He forgot his nightmare. He forgot his migraine and his worries as he turned on the commands and announced in the intercom:

“Roger that. Ready for takeoff.”

The excitation aboard the ship was palpable; Pidge and Hunk, occupying engineers’ functions, were whispering animatedly, playfully teasing each other about techniques and technology. Keith was a lot calmer, but he was grinning impishly, excitedly. Lance couldn’t sit straight, and his eyes were glittering with delight. His weariness seemed to have faded away. 

The countdown had started;

“Takeoff in three…”

And of course, the paladins couldn’t resist yelling:

“Three… Two… ONE!”

The ship started to vibrate under their feet, and then it and rose in the air, taking off to the sky and beyond. Hunk and Pidge cheered, and Lance burst out laughing, of a pure and genuine laugh as they flew faster towards the stars. Keith remained silent, but Shiro caught a fond look on his face as his eyes glittered with the stars at his teammates’ enthusiasm.

His teammates. His friends. His family.

 

The journey through the wormhole didn’t bring any complications, and soon, after flying a few minutes between the stars, Altea could be seen in the distance. Its view brought a wave of memory into Keith’s heart, even though he hadn’t come there very often. Allura had spoken with so much passion about her home planet, and then their journey as paladins of Voltron had ended with so much emotion among its landscape and people that it was impossible to forget all the adventures that had brought them together as the legendary defenders. 

The mood among their ship had calmed down and was now tainted with a soft sadness. Discreetly glancing at his friends, he noticed the glum into Hunk’s eyes and Pidge frowning slightly. Shiro seemed distracted, distant, but it was Lance who had sunk the most; withdrawn into a heavy silence, his eyes were empty from the sparkles that would reassure Keith from his worries for the young man. He knew better than anyone how hard it was to bear the grief of a loved one, but shouldn’t Lance now find back a bit of joy in the simple details of life? Not that he wanted to push him; but he just felt that Lance deserved happiness. He deserved so much more, after all he had given to the team.

Shiro took a deep inspiration and said on his most joyous tone:

“Alright, team! We’re almost there! Pidge, could you contact Coran and tell him we’re ready for landing?”

“On it!” Pidge replied, already tapping codes on her device.

Opening a line with Altea, she exclaimed:

“This is the former paladins of Voltron, broadcasting to Altea and our dear Coran, do you copy?”

After a short moment, Coran’s face appeared on the screen, and a bit of tension was relieved from their shoulders; however, something in the Altean’s attitude wasn’t quite right: normally, he would have snickered at Pidge’s choice of words. He would have welcomed them warmly on his planet, with a lot of unnecessary chatter. Now, despite a small smile, his expression seemed empty. His eyes were glazed.

Maybe Keith was just paranoid, but he glanced nervously at his teammates, looking for a suspicion like his to prove his doubts; but, if his friends had noticed something unusual, they were good at hiding it. 

“Hello, paladins!” Coran told them on a slightly colder tone than usual. “Be the most welcome on Altea!”

The paladins cheered, and Coran’s face disappeared from the screen as the ship began its descent through the atmosphere. Worried, Keith watched the paladins as they mechanically carried on their tasks, but he didn’t see a trace of suspicion in their attitude. It was as if Coran had acted perfectly naturally.

Keith decided to shake it off; he wouldn’t abandon his doubts, but he wouldn’t let them come in the way of their reunion. After all, they were all allowed to have their own worries.

As they landed their ship, Coran came greeting them with the same odd smile on his face. On Altea, time was different, so it was with no surprise that the paladins followed the man on his land under the sunset, even though they had left Earth in the morning. Coran, almost mechanically, invited them to the table, just under Allura’s statue.

“Well, how are the things on Altea, Coran?” cheerfully inquired Lance as they took a seat.

Keith smiled for himself as he remembered the bond Lance and Coran had developed in Voltron’s time. It was as if Coran had adopted the Cuban as his nephew.

Coran’s gaze seemed empty for a second, and then his grin grew wider, but without giving life to his eyes. Yes, his people were fine. No, there wasn’t any disturbing event going on. Yes, Altea was developing peacefully. 

Coran was answering every question with the same stiff attitude, as a robot. His face and his voice weren’t as expressive as usual, and if the paladins hadn’t noticed it earlier, they sure did, now.

But they let it go. None of them wanted to ruin the evening, to ruin Allura’s ceremony, as she would have wished that all her friends got along, especially when they didn’t see each other apart from that night. Despite everything, Keith had come to consider her as family, and he wouldn’t darken her memory by fighting under her statue. 

 

But Coran’s attitude was strange. Stranger than usual.

The six of them chatted lightly, sharing news and anecdotes about the previous year, and the mood lightened up a bit.

At some point in the evening, Coran got up and raised his glass;

“Tonight, we honour the spirit of a true fighter. Tonight, we remember all of what she brought to our universe, how we wouldn’t be here without her. Tonight, we drink and eat in her honour…”

Keith watched all of the paladins’ reaction; they were looking down, a solemn and sad expression on their face. His gaze lingered a second longer on Lance; his hands were shaking lightly and he tightened his lips together, probably refraining his feelings to show on his face. Keith looked away, hiding his tears, and his eyes fell on a thin figure that was observing them. He frowned; usually, Coran gave the order to be left alone on that special night.

Coran continued his speech;

“Tonight, we stand for peace and freedom, the causes he held so dear in her heart. Tonight, we live for Allura.”

“For Allura,” repeated all the paladins on a low tone.

As he lowered his glass, Keith glanced at the figure he had seen; it was still there, as if it watched them.

His doubts were growing bigger. 

“Coran, who is that?” he asked, before realizing it wasn’t the thing to do.

Coran’s expression hardened, but his eyes remained empty. Then, he brutally got up and suddenly plunged towards him, so rapidly that none of them had the time to react.

Keith jumped from his seat and, with his shoulder, parried Coran’s blow, pushing him hard on the ground. Out of horror, the paladins quickly stood up, but Coran was already out of the fight; he had fallen heavily on the ground and rolled several meters further, his body suddenly looking lifeless. Keith thought he had noticed a faint green glow in the back of his head before it got lost in the grass.

“Coran!” screamed Pidge, frightened.

However, they didn’t have time to worry him; the figure Keith had seen, while it only had been observing them, was now running towards them with a war cry. Surprised, the paladins realized with a shock that it was an Altean.

From an old habit, Keith’s hands grabbed his blade and drew it, ready to counterattack. The Altean, a woman, had gotten out a sword and was swinging it in his direction, as he was the only one with a weapon. It probably saved them from a never ending battle.

Keith received her first blow with his own blade, who grew into a sword form in his hands. Surprised, the Altean reacted too slowly, and she had to retreat as Keith freed his weapon and swung it into her direction. However, he didn’t have to pursue the attack; from behind, Lance had thrown himself on her and threw her off balance. Pidge had run at Coran’s side, and she watched with horror Shiro and Hunk grabbing the Altean by her wrists, pushing her to her knees as Keith removed her sword from her hand.

The battle, as rapid as it had been, had left them gasping for breath. As soon as he recovered his composure, Keith frantically looked around them, trying to catch a glimpse of another assailant. Thankfully, the lands seemed calm, and he relaxed his shoulders, convinced that, if the woman had had allies, they would have attacked the, by now.

He reported his attention to her; she was struggling to get out of their grip; her eyes sparkled with anger, and she yelled on a vicious tone:

“By fighting against us once, you have signed the loss of the Altean people’s free will. And, tonight, you have decided on which side you’ll stand. But soon, you’ll regret discussing our techniques!”

Her words made vague memories come back to Keith’s mind, but he couldn’t remember exactly where he had heard them. Confused, but regaining his calm, Shiro asserted on a firm voice:

“Then, you admit that your techniques, whatever they are, are wrong for the ones you use them against.”

The Altean spat on the ground, right in front of him, and then snickered, a fierce look in her eyes:

“We’re more on our side than you’d think, paladins! And we have our own ways to fight against the opponents of the new Altean regime…”

“We’ll see…” gloomily concluded Shiro. 

A crowd of Alteans had gathered around them, watching with horror and disgust the imposter. They were whispering together, agitated, as Keith stood up and grabbed the woman, bringing her to two strong looking Alteans.

Taking a deep inspiration, he announced on a loud tone:

“This woman is not part of your people. Wherever she comes from, she wishes to remove the free will from innocent people.”

Handing her to the two Alteans, he added on a soft tone:

“Bring her away, please. We’ll interrogate her later.”

Once the crowd dispersed, still murmuring nervously, Keith ran back where the paladins had reunited around a dazed Coran;

“Good lord, paladins, I don’t remember you arriving on Altea! What has happened?”

Keith exchanged worried glanced with his friends. Lance kindly chimed in:

“Coran, it’s Allura’s ceremony, tonight. We arrived a few hours ago…”

Coran straightened up with panic, frantically looking around;

“What? No! It’s not until three days from now!”

His hand went up to the back of his head, and he froze.

“Oh no…” he murmured.

The paladins got closer to him.

“Oh no, what?” inquired Hunk, swallowing hard.

Coran looked at each of them, wide eyed, and then asked on an pressing tone:

“Did you find a small device at the back of my head?!”

Keith frowned lightly, and he could see that Shiro had the same reaction. However, Pidge, Hunk and Lance looked at each other, horrified;

“Coran, did this Altean come from a different reality?” Pidge asked on a panicked voice.

Coran nodded thoughtfully;

“Well, she didn’t tell me, of course. But now that you say it, it makes sense.”

“Hold on a second,” Keith blurted out. “What does this mean?”

His eyes fell on Lance, who was shaking his head, gulping;

“You remember that time when we crossed to another reality and met Alteans there?” Pidge told him, and he was forced to tear his gaze apart from Lance. “You know, when we brought out a meteor, made of the same material as Voltron? When Lotor stole it from us as soon as we went back into our reality?”

“Yes…” admitted Keith, still frowning. What’s the…”

The realization struck him, and his eyes widened; after Lotor’s intervention, he had completely forgotten the incident, and, judging from his friends’ expressions, they had too. Until now.

“I’m still lost…” said Shiro, sending them interrogative glances. “When did this happen?”

“You weren’t there, you had disappeared, shortly after your fight with Zarkon,” Lance explained. “Well, you were there, but it wasn’t you. It was you, but… from another reality.”

Lance was thoughtful for a second, and then he smirked;

“You were friend with Slav, and you had an accent… Ah, Sven… good times…”

Pidge rolled her eyes. As Shiro still looked dazed, Keith chimed in:

“We crossed into another reality, because of a distress signal sent by Lotor. He wanted us to bring back a meteor made of the same material as Voltron, so he could build a ship as powerful, but as we looked for the people in need, we fell on Alteans, who, to preserve peace on their reality, extended the Altean rule over their universe. By sapping the free will of those who fought back. But I don’t understand,” he added, confused. “We never knew how they were doing that…”

“Well, yeah, we did. They showed us, when you were with… with Allura,” Hunk taught him. 

Keith turned to him, but as he opened his mouth, Coran shouted:

“The Altean implanted a device in the back of my head! Did you find it?”

“It must have fallen when Keith pushed you out of the way,” Lance said, before looking for the device on the ground.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” muttered Keith. 

Coran shrugged. As Pidge and Hunk joined Lance in his research, Shiro asked Coran:

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Coran took a deep breath;

“Well, there’s nothing that you don’t know; this Altean – I had never seen her before, but I can’t know all the citizens on Altea! – showed up at the Castle, a week ago, and she proposed her services. I was intrigued, but, as a fool, I accepted… I must have known that something was going on…” he muttered, grumpy. “One night, she came to me with a little device; it was designed to fit on ones head, glowing at two spots, with weird pins coming out of it. She showed me, but as I bent down to examine it more carefully, she knocked me out. Then, it gets blurry; see, I don’t remember you arriving, nor anything specific since that moment, in fact.”

Keith and Shiro exchanged a dark glance;

“If they’ve found a way to cross between realities, then we’re all at risk…” Keith murmured, feeling like the sky had suddenly fallen on his shoulders.

A silence, heavy of the dark events that were coming, settled between them. A feeling of despair grew in his mind; their universe was just recovering from a war, and another was about to start?

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Pidge’s victorious cry;

“We found it!”

Keith, Coran and Shiro ran towards them; they were standing around Pidge, not so far from there, and, as they approached, Keith caught a glimpse of the device she was holding.

Coran grabbed it, and as he examined it, he muttered:

“Interesting… Their technology is even more advanced than ours… I’ll have to bring it back to the castle to have a closer look on its components…”

At that moment, screams disturbed the evening, and a group of Alteans ran into their direction, eyes wide with panic;

“Meteors… coming right on Altea!” they panted, frantically showing them the sky. 

On Altea’s usually peaceful lands, there was a mass agitation. Four dots were glowing in the sky, getting dangerously near of the planet. However, the five paladins and Coran didn’t let panic overcome their minds. 

Keith was frowning; instead of the fear he should feel, it was a sudden calm that filled his heart. Curiously, he watched the meteors growing bigger and bigger; was it normal for meteors to glow purple, green, yellow and red?

His heart missed a beat. His mouth fell open, but no sound came out of his throat. Astonishment took over his head, and he made one step forward, as a big wind disturbed the peaceful landscape. He barely noticed the others’ exclamation, but he knew that they were as stunned, as amazed as him.

The four “meteors”, despite their power, landed softly on the Altean ground, causing loud gasps from all of those who were watching the scene. Speechless, Keith welcomed the serenity and excitement that filled his heart, as if he greeted an old friend.

And in some way, it was the case; standing with pride, waiting for another journey, four of the five lions had returned to their paladins.


	3. From Over Here or Over There?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I just want to say thank you for sticking around with me, and thank you for your comments; they really keep me going!
> 
> I you've spent an amazing week, and I love you all!
> 
> Enjoy!

A soft vibration, just as a purr of content, echoed from within the heart of the lion, leading the way to the cockpit with a whisper reaching the very edge of the mind. Rays of yellow pierced the otherwise dark path, creating a pattern of swirling lights that could arise the excitement and the adrenaline put at sleep inside of a true fighter. The atmosphere seemed austere, cold, and somewhat disquieting, for any who would never have shared their spirit with the vastness of the universe and the depths of its secrets.

Hunk slowly followed the purr and the lines of yellow on his track, but it wasn’t fear that had determined his pace; in fact, it was totally the opposite. Ever since he had felt his bond with Yellow growing with her proximity, a confident calm had driven out any other emotion or thought from his mind. Even if he had set himself to concentrate on something, he wouldn’t have been able to. 

Each one of his steps brought him closer to the heart of his lion, closer to the spirit that guided so many pure souls to goodness and safety throughout its lifetime. And its lifetime was… incredibly long. 

Almost in a trance, he welcomed with an infinite serenity the images that came flooding his mind. The more he advanced, the nearer he got to the cockpit, the more vivid they felt; he relived the first moment he ever shared with Yellow, the first battle he fought with her, the first time he and his team formed Voltron. He felt the bond, the union with them and her when they were brought together by the adrenaline, when they were facing the biggest threats of the universe… He saw the Gladiator, the first robot Voltron had to defeat, he saw Zarkon as they drew courage and determination from the depths of their beings and the strength of their bond, he looked through Yellow’s eyes as they fought Lotor in the quintessence field, the countless occasions where they had fallen on the ground, weak and powerless, and still gave strength to one another… 

Then, it was more recent memories: when his lion heard his call, despite the distance between Earth and that moon in Saturn’s rings, as they prepared to attack the six Galra bases on their planet. When the five of them were stuck in a cell, and they flew through their bonds, even though their physical body was rotting under the Galras’ watch. When they had fought that Robeast, with only the power of their union. When, because of their will, the lions had appeared into Honerva’s mind and had formed Voltron. When they were more powerful than ever, with the unity between him, Yellow and Gyrgan’s spirit, the soul of the Paladin of old…

Hunk took a shaky breath and discreetly wiped away his tears. A sad smile had formed on his lips as he murmured: “We’ve gone through a lot together, haven’t we, Yellow?”

He putted a kind hand on the metallic wall, who vibrated with satisfaction under his touch. 

Hunk lifted up his head; he was standing in front of the last barrier between him and the cockpit. He had left a careful distance between him and the doors, and he waited before taking another step. When he was the Yellow Paladin, he would run to the controls and the doors would slide on his way, accepting him as the lion’s rightful pilot. But now, as he wasn’t a paladin anymore, would Yellow simply open the way in front of him?

He felt a purr, stronger than the others, reaching to him and inviting him further. It was warm, friendly, almost teasing, and Hunk was softly pushed forward. He held his breath in apprehension, but the tension left his shoulders when the doors slid in front of him, opening to the cockpit.

In the dark, Hunk barely had time to make out the familiar surroundings that they suddenly burst out in bright yellow lights, recognizing him as a rightful paladin and welcoming him home.

“Oh, Yellow…” he choked out with gratefulness, his eyes tearing up a little.

The cockpit was exactly as Hunk had let it; maybe the controls and the panels were slightly dusty, but it proved that he must have been the last one sitting there since the war. He realized just now that he had missed Yellow more than he would have thought, and that he wasn’t ready to pass her to the next generation. Not that it would be necessary. At least, he hoped.

Hunk advanced, imprinting every little detail into his mind, enjoying the old familiarity he felt with his lion, and, putting a hand on his seat, he slowly took place, just like when Voltron was called to battle. 

His hands found the commands, and he squeezed them lightly with a soft smile, recalling all the way they went through. But then, sadness tainted his thoughts, and he shut his eyes, letting his mind drift to the bigger entity;

“Why are you so glum, paladin?” he heard in his mind, and, from all the adventures they went through, he immediately recognized Yellow’s signature.

“I was never a pilot,” he said, and he felt a vague incomprehension echoing within his soul. “and much less a of a fighter. I became a paladin nonetheless, and I accepted my fate. But I never changed for it, and now, I’ve turned my back on all of that…”

“You were not chosen for your ability and your desire to fly or to fight, my paladin,” whispered Yellow, and that purr echoed inside his heart. “How you let your heart guide you, your deepest values and strongest qualities are what makes you worth flying a Lion of Voltron. Pilot or not, I am proud of my yellow paladin. You.”

Hunk opened his eyes as awe and gratitude filled his whole mind. He took a shaky breath and let it go with relief;

“Thank you,” he murmured, looking up, as if Yellow would hear him better that way.

He felt pride and a kind satisfaction, but this time, the vibrations didn’t transmit any words.

 

Once he was back outside again, he was vaguely surprised to see such agitation even so late in the evening. But then, Voltron’s return was much of an amazement.

No, it wasn’t right: Voltron didn’t return. Only four of the five lions had landed on Altea, and it hadn’t taken a long time to realize which one was missing; did something happen to the Blue Lion, or she just didn’t follow the others since her paladin wasn’t… wasn’t on Altea?

And if it was the case, where was the Blue Lion?

Hunk shook his head, dispelling his thoughts; at his right, not far from him, Lance was sitting on the ground, squeezing his knees on his chest, head low in front of the Red Lion.

A new wave of sadness came down on him; apart from Pidge, Lance was the one he hung out with the most often, and he could see how miserable the young man felt. Several times, he had tried to make him open up to him, and it hurted to see his friend tightening his grip on his own misery to refrain it from coming out as tears. Each time Lance laughed and its sound wasn’t quite true, each time he smiled and the joy didn’t glitter in his eyes, it just reminded how much pain he held in, and it crushed Hunk’s heart.

He understood how hard Allura’s death must have been for him. But he had hoped that his tears would have faded away with the years. 

But, as Lance had withdrawn himself more and more, his worry and compassion had changed into despair; yes, he was now desperate to grab Lance and get him out of that depression. It was as if his friend was sinking into water, and as if his tears just added intensity to the tide. Hunk tried to grab his hand, but his grip was slipping, loosening… And, from the bottom, Lance just looked up with a glassy and sad glare, that seemed to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, that he was gone and resigned to his fate. It was those sad, empty eyes that haunted him the most.

Hunk, shivering, took a deep breath and approached Lance, who turned his head towards him. Hunk smiled softly;

“Hey,” he said, as he sat down next to his friend. 

“Hey…”

Lance tried to relax the tension in his shoulders, and he looked up at his lion. Under Red’s shadow, they felt small, vulnerable, at her mercy. Hunk knew it wasn’t the case, but as he didn’t understand her vibrations as he could for Yellow, it was hard not to flinch.

He wanted to believe that, with the lions’ return, Lance would feel better. The young man had certainly felt like him when Red had simply flown away, but now that she was back, couldn’t she place things right?

“You know, you should go in, hear what she says,” Hunk blurted out in a whisper. 

“And what tells you she’ll just accept me?” dryly retorted Lance, and Hunk knew it wasn’t out of anger; his friend was scared, heartbroken. “I’m not a pilot anymore, Hunk. I’m not the hero Red would want at her controls.”

Those last words proved how deep Lance had sunk, and Hunk felt like his heart was being torn out;

“I thought the same thing, when I looked at Yellow,” he confessed, putting his arm on Lance’s shoulders. “We’ve all changed since the war, and I was afraid that she wouldn’t recognize me. But then, I told myself that she’d prefer if I tried than if I’d hesitate…”

Lance let out a shaky breath. 

“It was just like Voltron’s times, man!” he continued, hoping Lance would cheer up a little. “I could feel Yellow inside my mind, and I hadn’t realized how much I had missed having her protection around. They don’t care what we’ve become, if we didn’t forget who we were and who we are…”

“Hunk!” yelled Pidge’s voice from the Castle, interrupting his speech. “You need to come to see this!”

Since the lions arrived, Pidge had been more determined than ever to pierce the Altean’s technology piece. She didn’t believe that the return of the defenders of the universe and the Alteans crossing over to their reality could be a coincidence. She had promised to analyze the device as soon as she would have reunited with her lion. At least, Pidge hadn’t hesitate.

Hunk patted Lance’s shoulder;

“Lance, I know you, and I know you don’t believe in yourself anymore. But trust me, we all do, and your lion does. Red won’t accept anyone except you, man. And you need to see that yourself.”

He carefully watched his reaction as a small bittersweet smile formed on Lance’s lips, and then he turned towards him, softening;

“Thanks, Hunk,” he murmured, giving in in his hug. 

Hunk beamed, feeling like he had won a small victory, and then, kindly, he commanded:

“Now, you go in that huge and magnificent lion while I’m stuck with a small nerdy human and a weird creepy device.”

Lance chuckled, and that sound, as soft as it was, was the most genuine he had heard from his friend since a long time.

 

Keith’s hands were twitching at his sides, feeling the lack of action in the night. He had never been the nervous kind of guy, but now, after all that happened during the evening, he felt like something was about to attack them. Any moment.

Sitting around had never been his thing either, but what could they do? Pidge had insisted to check on the device before interrogating the Altean, to be more prepared in front of her. Because right now, they were all dizzy with the chain of events of the day, and they felt like they had been thrown into a trap, but surrounded by thick dark fog, impossible to pierce through. They knew they were missing something, something crucial, but they couldn’t rush into the unknown without risking all they’ve worked so hard to build in the last years.

A few of his worries had been soothed when he had entered Black, replaced by comforting memories of hope and excitement during Voltron’s times, the feeling that anything was possible. However, that hadn’t helped to calm his mind; now, he felt more than ever that the universe was in danger again, or at least that something was going on, something so concerning that the Lions of Voltron had returned.

But they couldn’t form Voltron without the Blue Lion and her paladin. 

He heard footsteps coming towards him;

“Hey, Keith,” greeted Hunk as he arrived at his level. With the lights of the castle behind them, Keith could easily see the tiredness in his eyes. “How did it go with your lion?” 

Keith had a strained smile;

“I miss flying through space with her,” he admitted. 

Hunk chuckled lightly;

“I have this feeling that it won’t be long before we’re out there again,” he said, but this time, his voice was mixed between hope and weariness.

Keith nodded, and then he sighed. Hunk was about to continue his way to the castle, before he seemed to remember something;

“Oh, and Keith… uh, could you go, uh… check on Lance?” he asked hesitantly. “I know you two are past that weird rival phase, and I think he needs more than ever a friend at his side…”

Surprised, Keith blinked several times to convince himself he hadn’t dreamt. It wasn’t that he thought the idea was unrealistic; he and Lance had gotten a lot closer as the years had passed, and he trusted him more than anyone to have his back. And of course, he could see his despair, and he was worried about it. But that Hunk turned to him to go comfort his best friend? Their team was unconsciously starting to link him and Lance together. And honestly? He liked it.

“Of… of course!” said Keith, reproaching himself to feel so happy about that when the Blue Paladin was suffering from the situation. 

Hunk sent him a curious glance, but his expression softened, grateful. He looked back, and, following his glare, Keith saw Lance standing in front of Red, hesitating to go further, looking glum and pained, afraid to make another step forward. That view brought a twinge in his heart; he knew what Lance was going through, and he feared that he would become just like the young boy Keith had been. Pushing away the others before they could reject him. 

Hunk patted his shoulder in encouragement, making Keith wonder how much he knew about his feelings for Lance, and then walked towards the castle to join Pidge in her analysis. Keith took a deep breath and headed to the Blue Paladin. When he arrived close enough to detail his expression, he couldn’t help but hopelessly look for the ghost of a familiar and yet comforting smile on his friend’s face.

“It’s alright, Keith, you don’t need to look out for me,” Lance blurted out before Keith even opened his mouth. 

The agitation in Altea’s lands had calmed down, and his voice was loud in the night, echoing with all the distress he tried to hide.

“I’m a big boy, I’ve got my own back.”

That last remark had a hint of humour and irony, but to Keith, it felt more like a child’s last attempt to escape a lecture. And it was bitter and tired to be treated as such.

Keith almost regretted coming to him; making Lance feel like a child, as if he was young and selfish, was the exact opposite of his intentions. He admired Lance, and he always had done, for his fighting skills as for his piloting talent as for his personality. Lance was fearless in a battle, selfless in a struggle and passionated in a mission. He was determined to make the universe a better place and eager to give a family a better home. He was funny, annoyingly stubborn, proud, awfully cocky, extremely caring and incredibly open. 

And watching him lose more and more of that personality to despair and depression hardened Keith’s resolution to find his Blue Paladin again;

“I know that,” he said, a smile forming on his lips. “But what if the universe needs someone to have its back, then what are you going to do?”

Lance snorted;

“Then we’ll try not to get killed, as usual,” he muttered, and against his will, the corner of his lips twitched. It was barely a smile. Barely. But Keith’s heart jumped with joy in his chest. “And, well, if it’s a battle, then, Red’s not going to have a choice…” Lance sighed.

Keith frowned;

“I think that, even now and while she has a choice, she’ll open to you, and only you.”

Lance didn’t answer and he didn’t turn towards him, nor did he make a step forward. A small silence settled between them, only broken by the whispers of the wind.

“Keith, I know all of you have connected with your lions immediately,” Lance murmured, still not daring to meet his eyes. “And I’ve grown so much attached to Red… But I don’t think she did the same with me. After all, at the beginning, I was confident enough to think that Blue had fully recognized me as her paladin. She was my lion, until, one day, she didn’t open to me anymore.”

Lance lowered his head, trying to hide his sadness and his fear. Keith was frozen, painfully bearing the weight behind his friend’s words;

“I mean, what if it happens again?” Lance continued, his tone rising with the panic. “All of us know that Red didn’t choose me. You were her paladin, and I was barely the shadow of the hero she would have wanted. And now, even the shadow is broken in pieces. What do you think she’ll see? She won’t open for me, Keith.” 

His voice had reduced to a murmur, broken and resigned. It moved something deep in Keith and shattered his heart. It took less than a second for him to react: he grabbed Lance by his shoulders and, facing him, he said on a firm voice:

“Lance, listen to me. I understand your fear. And don’t try to deny it,” he added quickly as Lance opened his mouth to protest, “ because I know you’re scared. You’re afraid that, once more, you’ve given everything only to realize that it meant nothing for the other, that it was in vain that you’ve planted your roots there. You’re pushing Red away before she can reject you.”

He stopped, suddenly hesitant to share his own darkest fears, before realizing that he would never find someone as trustworthy as Lance. And someone that would, in one glance full of tears and pain, feel so much distress and yet remain so beautiful as Lance.

“And let me tell you this,” he whispered, so close to Lance’s face that he could see a tear forming through the young man’s eyelashes, “from what I can see in your eyes and from personal experience; you don’t let yourself hope. And I know that, because I’ve lived through the exact same thing so many times in my life.”

Lance slightly raised his head, but Keith didn’t stop; 

“I didn’t actually think I’d fit, at the Garrison, and without Shiro, I wouldn’t even have entered the program. But, because I stifled my hopes, I let my issues catch up with me, despite wanting more than ever a home, despite being so close to my dream, and I was kicked out.”

He let out a choked laugh and took a shaky breath;

“It justified my excuses, it justified my fear, and I never thought one second that, maybe they had been the reason why I hadn’t succeeded. Because I hadn’t hoped for more, I was let down lower.”

He gently squeezed Lance’s shoulder and, when his friend finally looked up, Keith looked right into his eyes and insisted:

“But you’re not me; you’re you, you’re Lance. You’re confident, brilliant, generous, full of courage and romance. I know you can believe in happy endings, and trust me on that one, you, above anyone else, deserve one. But don’t let this fear overcome your choices. Let yourself hope about the future.”

Lance had blinked several times to refrain his tears, and now he looked away, wiping them off discreetly as Keith softly stared at him. After a short silence, Lance nodded firmly, and he looked back at Keith, still afraid, still full of sorrow, but with a small smile, worth all of his deepest fears. It was like a ray of sun through the clouds and the rain; beautiful, full of hopes, grateful. 

He didn’t realize he’d been staring at Lance’s lips until the young man started to talk, causing Keith to brutally tear his gaze off of them, a faint blush covering his face;

“Thanks, Keith, it… it really means everything to me, what you’ve said.” Lance also turned his head away, his cheeks turning pink. 

Keith followed his gaze and looked up to the Red Lion, who purred within his mind, maybe a small greeting and a “thank you”. He turned back to Lance;

“So…” he said, smiling. “You going in?”

Lance took a deep breath and, hesitantly, he smiled back;

“Yeah, I… there’s no other way to do that?” he asked, half joking.

Keith shook his head, chuckling;

“I’ll wait for you outside,” he promised.

Lance nodded, and, finally, he slowly made his way to Red. The lion stayed still a second, and then, as Lance put a shaky hand on her paw, lowered her head with a deep purr, opening her jaw, welcoming her paladin as if they had flown together everyday since their departure. 

Keith smiled wide as Lance stepped in and waved at him, before continuing his way inside. He took a few steps backwards and turned his gaze up at the sky. But suddenly, as he made out the stars, darkness brutally struck him.

During a moment that could have lasted a second as much as an hour, he was surrounded by the void. He would have thought he had gotten used to it by now, as he flew in space quite often, but the lack of stars and of light awoke the panic he always kept locked away within him. But, just as he felt like throwing up, he was thrown out of the darkness and exposed to blinding lights again.

He flinched, and then, as he restored his balance, his vision cleared, revealing a large room with ships lined up both sides of a central runway. The familiar noise of a rumbling engine abruptly dispelled all stupor from his mind, and his eyes widened as he recognized the Garrison’s colours.

He frowned; how could he have been suddenly thrown here? 

Stifling his astonishment, he observed his surroundings, trying to detect any hints of a treachery that could have brought him there, but neither the engineers nor the scientists had stopped repairing ships or testing prototypes at his arrival. In fact, everything seemed normal.

From behind, someone bumped into him, nearly hurling him to the ground;

“Whoops, sorry, officer Kogane.”

Keith brutally turned around at the voice, for two reasons; first, he was startled by the title they had given him: he never reached the officer’s rank, and wasn’t interested by it. And second but most important, he recognized that kind and sincere voice;

“Hunk?”

The young man had passed him, tools in his hands, and was heading to one of the biggest ship without even looking back at Keith. Keith felt completely lost; what was Hunk doing there? Had they all been brought here? And why didn’t he seem to recognize him as his friend?

Before letting panic overrun his mind again, he stepped out of the way and decided to walk around a bit, looking for any way to get back to the moment he had been thrown over to here. As he analyzed the place, he noticed that everyone seemed in a rush, that the usual chatters seemed more like pressing commands and that the atmosphere was heavy, tensed. He went closer to one of the ships, and realized that they weren’t repairing it; they were preparing it. For war.

As his mind still processed the information, it was as if a different person took control of his mind; he suddenly recovered his senses and noticed the weird looks that one of the engineers sent him. He nodded sharply at him and turned around, walking on a determined pace to his own ship. Voltron had contacted them, the Galras would assault the Earth soon. And he would be the one leading the opening line of the counterattack.

He was stopped by a firm calloused hand on his shoulder;

“As I can see, you’re not going for a moonlight space trip…”

The voice was deep, resigned, and Keith turned towards its source, to see a strong man, in his fifties, with brown hair and soft eyes.

He felt momentarily lost, in awe and then, he shook his head, dispelling the weird thought. Why did he just have the impression to stand in front of a total stranger, when it was his own father looking at him with such a sad glare? Slightly concerned about his sudden memory loss, he regained his composure and replied softly:

“I’m sorry, dad. James Griffin contacted us: the Galras are preparing an attack on Earth, and Voltron needs assistance. They want me to open the fighting line.”

His father sighed, but Keith knew he understood the cause;

“I can’t believe we’re still fighting this war,” he said, staring at the ship. “Your mother died for the Coalition, and we still can’t defeat the Galras. Why can’t Voltron drive them back into their territory?”

Keith was uncomfortable, just like each time they spoke about his mother. He had nothing against alien species, but… Ever since his father revealed him the truth about his mother, he couldn’t help but feeling resentful towards them, as if they all were the same. His mother had abandoned them, was it because she, as a Galra, didn’t have a heart? 

So he preferred to answer his father’s question instead of letting an awkward silence shred;

“Griffin is too full of himself to act like a true leader…” he said bitterly.

His father smiled slightly;

“You still hold grudge against him? Because that man, Takashi Shirogane, was interested in him?”

“It’s not like that, dad!” Keith protested angrily. “I respected every command, I was one of the best pilot of our class, but Griffin drew all attention on himself and stole the others’ skills to shine in front of Officer Shirogane. And it worked! Shirogane never had a single look for the others!”

His father lightly squeezed his shoulder to comfort him. Keith suddenly saw images of himself in his father’s position, in front of a young man avoiding his eyes, blue marks glowing faintly on his cheeks. He shook his head, stunned; and now, he was having hallucinations?

But the images, they recalled faded memories into his mind. As his father inquired on his health with concern, Keith frowned, wondering where he could have comforted a young man like the one he saw.

Without any warning, a heavy darkness fell on his whole body, choking him and any light that could have kept fear from crushing his heart.

Brutally, Keith felt like he had been dragged out of a perfidious nightmare. He jumped to his feet, drawing his blade as he observed his surroundings, panicked, trying to figure out where he had landed this time. He stood still for a few seconds, his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes slowly adjusted to the night, perceiving after a few seconds the four lions and the Castle behind him. 

On Altea. He was back on Altea, with no idea of what just happened, and how he could have had such a clear memory of a life he hadn’t lived. 

Still recovering from his vision, he realized how hard he was breathing, how much the images had disturbed him. As his heart rate calmed down, doubts settled in his mind; he hadn’t slept long, last night, and the day had been exhausting. Maybe all of this had been just a dream. 

He vehemently dispelled that thought; he was used to sleepless nights, and the vision had been way too vivid to be a part of his imagination. 

He pondered on the source of his dream, and on its meaning. An Altean from another reality, the return of four lions, but the absence of the Blue one, and now, he saw the Garrison preparing for war? This couldn’t be a coincidence.

Lance hadn’t gotten out of Red yet, and the more time passed, the more Keith refrained the urge to rush into the lion to get him. It wasn’t afraid that Red would hurt his paladin, and he didn’t think the lions themselves were the danger. But he found the night was too calm and the silence too heavy, like everything was in suspension, waiting for the right moment to strike. And the right moment could be any moment.

At the same time, he felt the urgent need to share his vision with someone, and he knew that Lance would listen to him attentively, and that he would be treated as an equal, despite the weirdness of the situation. He also hoped that, by sharing parts of himself, he would show Lance how much he trusted him, and that he was ears and heart open for him too. 

He ended up walking back and forth as he waited for him. He was restless, exhausted, and feeling like an hypocrite too: just as Lance opened to Red, he would come and shatter the exaltation his friend would feel as his bond with his lion arose again, and that because of a ridiculous and pessimistic story.

But he didn’t see a better person than Lance to open up to without judgment. 

At last, he noticed deeper vibrations in the ground, and next thing he knew, Red was bending over, and a relaxed, smiling Lance walked out of her mouth. For a moment, Keith forgot how to think, for he was overwhelmed by the relief of catching a glimpse of his old friend again, even if that glimpse lasted only for a moment. 

Lance smiled shyly to him;

“You were right. I needed that,” he said, looking up at Red. “And I needed to see those memories. Thank you.”

Keith didn’t know if he was grateful to him or to Red, but either way, he was overjoyed to find his Lance back, and he smiled, softly, genuinely.

But then, at the thought of ruining this moment, his mood darkened;

“Lance, while you were in Red…” he started, still hesitant. 

As a frown replaced Lance’s smile, Keith suddenly regretted his words. However, he had no choice but to go on, and frankly, he knew that what he had seen was important. And Lance deserved to know it first.

“I had… I saw images,” he said awkwardly. Lance intensely staring at him didn’t help to his logical thinking, and he felt his face warm up. “I… literally was back at the Garrison, and they were preparing for a war, against the Galras. And I know how it sounds,” he added, stammering in panic. “But it wasn’t like a memory, and I know it wasn’t an hallucination! I had the impression… that all of that was my life, that it was…”

He gulped;

“It was… me, but not me. Me, in another life, where things had turned out differently. I had… those memories of events that I never witnessed in my life; my mother was dead, but my father alive, the war wasn’t over, and… and I wasn’t the one flying Black,” he finished bitterly. “I don’t think we even knew each other…”

Much to his surprise, Lance didn’t even seem sceptical in front of his story and accepted it without a single word. Keith was secretly relieved; despite his trust for Lance, he knew how weird and implausible all of this must have sounded. 

“It’s happened to me too.”

Keith, if not so suspicious with all the events from the past hours, would have placed that fact over to coincidences; he and Lance could both have odd dreams, right? But now, with all that was happening, he didn’t believe in coincidences.

Past the initial surprise, he got closer to his friend, deeply interested. Lance didn’t seem to notice his personal space invaded and continued:

“A few times, by now, but I don’t remember the images as well as you do. They all fade away, so I never thought they were more than really vivid dreams.”

He paused, embarrassed;

“Until you spoke about it, I thought I was hallucinating,” he confessed, smiling slightly. “But now, if it happened to both of us, maybe there’s a link!” he said with a sudden strength.

Keith nodded, his uneasiness fading away to excitement and determination;

“When did your visions happen?” he inquired, searching through his mind for a connection other than Voltron between him and Lance, a connection that would explain what they had seen. 

Lance was thoughtful for a second, and then his look softened;

“I had one right before you came to my house, yesterday,” he told Keith. “It was the first one, and the most vivid; I remember feeling ecstatic and… I think I was piloting a ship…”

Keith unconsciously made another step forward, too concentrated in Lance’s words to notice his own body;

“It was just as you said,” Lance revealed, enthusiasm starting to replace his weariness. “When I… woke up? I had the impression to have witnessed a moment from my own existence! Well, the existence of another me.”

“The other you was living a much more thrilling life than the other me…” Keith retorted, grinning. 

Lance snorted;

“Hey, at least, now you know that no one is as good paladins as us,” he teased. “I mean, without us, in another reality, Voltron didn’t even defeat the Galras…”

Keith was about to let out a laugh, but he refrained it abruptly, weighing down Lance’s words;

“What did you just say?” he murmured, turning pale.

Lance, concerned, closed the distance between them, grabbing Keith by the shoulders, frowning as he tried to determine what had caused the sudden change in his friend’s mood. And then, his choice of words struck him, and his eyes went wide;

“You think… do you think we’ve had images from… from our other reality self?” Keith whispered, fearing the answer. 

Lance lowered his head, and Keith felt his hands shaking on his arms;

“If we did… then what would it mean?”

Keith wished he could give Lance an appropriate, comforting answer. He deserved it. But he didn’t have such knowledge. Instead, he regained his composure and said on a firm tone:

“We have to tell the others. With all of what happened tonight, it can’t be a coincidence. It may even be the Altean’s doing…”

Lance shuddered, and he nodded as Keith continued talking, but as he did so, he slightly jumped, his breathing accelerating, as he noticed their proximity. 

Keith hadn’t realized how close they had gotten, and it wasn’t until their noses touched that his words became incoherent, stammering without really thinking about what he said. He was too distracted by Lance’s breath on his lips, his blue eyes wide with… was it panic? Fear? Hope? And was it only Keith’s imagination, or were his Altean markings glowing brighter than usual on his flushed cheeks?

His mind was buzzing, not able to form a single thought, but it wasn’t out of panic; in fact, Keith felt perfectly calm, serene. He was completely dazed, hypnotized by Lance; his delicate features; the thin strands of hair on his forehead; his deep blue eyes, usually sparkling with life; his pink lips, looking so soft and sweet…

He blinked several times, not trying to pull away, but tearing his gaze off Lance’s lips. He tried to keep his senses, but it was so hard, especially when his eyes were plunged into Lance’s, opening a path to his heart and soul for him only…

He didn’t want to scare him off. He had waited so long, now, and he could wait longer, until Lance would be ready. And if he wasn’t ever, fine; Keith knew he would never find someone like him, even throughout all universes and realities…

 

“So, what are you seeing, number 5?”

Pidge smirked, turning her head to face Coran;

“You still haven’t forgotten that nickname?” she said, eyes glittering slyly, but with a hint of joy and of gratitude.

Coran shrugged;

“What nickname?” he asked, faking incomprehension. “Your name’s not Number 5?”

Pidge rolled her eyes and went back to her analysis of the device;

“Well, there’s a lot of materials I can’t identify, because they’re alteans, but I can still get the big image. Hunk, what about you?”

Hunk was frowning, detailing the device;

“Uh, yeah, first we can see, here, how it interferes with our brain,” he explained, pointing at the base of the device. “When it’s activated, it emits radiations, or the altean version of that, to interfere with the chemical reactions of our brain associated with feelings, so, indirectly, our will.”

“We’re not sure how, but the Alteans from that reality have found a way to use a person through their memory and associate them to their ideology,” Pidge chimed in, turning to Coran. “That’s why you obeyed them: they can’t control us through that device, but, by sapping the life force from one’s mind and forcing them to believe in their reign, it’s just like they whisper into the non-cog’s ear who to attack next…”

“The non-cog?” asked Shiro, puzzled.

Shiro had wanted to assist Pidge in her procedures as soon as she had announced her wish to have a closer look on the device. While she had done so, she had related him their adventures into the other reality, where they had met an alternate version of him and Slav.

“Yeah, it’s the term they used, when we met them,” said Hunk. “They also called the device “hoktril”, or something like that…”

“Yeah, the hoktril,” Pidge confirmed.

Shiro looked thoughtful for a moment;

“So now, the next step is to interrogate the Altean and to learn more about their plan, or whatever they’re up to,” he sighed.

“Well, what are we waiting for!” exclaimed Coran. “Let’s go get some answers!”

“Wait, Keith and Lance are not there!” said Hunk, alarmed. 

Pidge lowered her head; she knew that Hunk was worried about Lance, and she was too. But if they waited longer…

“You’re right, Hunk, we’re not going to do anything without them,” reassured Shiro. A slight frown disturbed his peaceful expression; “Maybe I should make sure they’re alright…”

At that moment, much to Pidge’s relief, Keith and Lance rushed in the room, panting. Both of them were pale, and their flushed cheeks stood out even more that way, but it wasn’t what alarmed them; the Red and the Blue Paladins were staring at them with horror, as if they knew something they shouldn’t.

“What happened?!” Pidge exclaimed, making all of them jump.

Keith rose his hands in a calming gesture;

“Nothing has happened… yet,” he let out with reluctance. 

Lance wasn’t as mysterious as Keith in his answer;

“Could it be possible that the Altean crossing realities may, like, open a window to another reality?” he inquired vehemently, going straight to the point.

Pidge frowned, but already, twisted theories were building up in her mind.

“I’m not sure, what do you mean?”

Lance took a deep breath;

“Keith and I have been having those visions, like a dream, and we think they came from another reality. It was like we interchanged bodies with one of our other reality self, in a different life.”

A small silence settled between them. Pidge noticed how concerned Hunk looked about his friends’ mental health, and honestly, she couldn’t blame him, even though a hidden part of her mind whispered her that it would make sense.

Keith had a fierce expression, bravely holding each of their stare, like to tell them that he wouldn’t accept anyone’s mockery. But then, a soft but firm voice echoed in the silence of the room; 

“I would’ve asked if it couldn’t be just a dream,” Shiro confessed, “if I hadn’t experienced it too.”

“Shiro?!” exclaimed Lance in disbelief.

Pidge realized it was the first time she had seen Lance being himself since they had arrived on Altea.

“Yes,” Shiro smiled, before his expression became darker; “But if we saw those images each time someone crossed over to our reality, it could be quite concerning… Pidge, is it possible?”

Pidge had shaken off her surprise, but she already had been analyzing the possibilities;

“I guess it would,” she admitted reluctantly. “Each time someone crosses over, it weakens the fabric of our reality, causing tears in it, which would allow you to see through it. But it wouldn’t explain why you got those visions so vividly, nor why you specifically. I know this theory isn’t satisfying, but it’s the only thing I can think of so far…”

Shiro patted her shoulder;

“It’s alright, Pidge. We have other concerns for now…” He straightened up and announced to the team: “I know what we’ve got isn’t ideal, and that none of us wants to drop the life we’ve managed to build over the years. But,” he added, and a hint of worry and weariness piercing his tone, “our universe is once more on the balance, and, once again, we seem to be in the middle of this. This Altean admitted wanting to spread her rule over to our reality, and that, by sapping our free will. And obviously, in another reality, us, paladins, have slowed down her purpose, but we didn’t stop it, only made her mad. We’re her main target, and if we can’t stop her, the whole universe will fall.”

“We have to interrogate her, know more about her plan,” Keith approved, even though he looked reluctant to abandon the theories about the inter-reality visions.

“Well, that was just what we were about to do!” Coran chanted.

At Keith’s side, Lance nodded silently. He had fell back into a gloomy silence, and he looked like he was bearing the weight of the whole universe on his back. In some way, it was the case, Pidge thought sadly. Hunk had gotten closer to his friend, ready to give him all the comfort he needed.

At that moment, they were interrupted by two Altean men running into the room;

“Paladins!” shouted one of them. They were out of breath, and their hair was in a mess, a detail that left Pidge puzzled and sceptical. “The prisoner…”

“Yes?” Coran let out, suddenly much more reserved, apprehending what would come next.

“She has disappeared.”

A stunned silence settled in the room. The Alteans had spoken on a neutral, solemn tone, and Pidge wondered how they could have let their guard down long enough for the woman to run away. Their eyes didn’t exactly sparkle with intelligence, but anyone, especially Alteans, should know the importance of never underestimating a captive. 

Shiro shook his head in disbelief and reacted promptly;

“Well, if she’s run away, then we should all start to look for her,” he asserted on a pacifying tone to calm down the sudden agitation within the paladins. “We should lock down the Castle, in case she’s still in it, and…”

“No, you don’t understand,” interrupted one of the Alteans in a dreary voice. “She disappeared; her cell is still locked, but she’s not in it.”

Pidge had a dreadful hunch, but she suppressed it, instead protesting:

“No, it’s impossible! She would have needed a device that would have changed her whole molecular system, or, let’s say, a druid’s help, or Keith’s wolf!” She turned to Keith; “Kosmo couldn’t have done that, could he?”

Keith shook his head, frowning;

“He’s with Krolia, and unless I’d call him, I don’t think he would come here by himself,” he replied, puzzled. Then, as he noticed all the eyes on him, he regained his composure and said on a firm voice: 

“Alright, team, I know we haven’t come on Altea to fight. But this woman could represent the loss of all free will. We still don’t know how she can cross between realities, but we have to stop her, before she spreads her influence throughout our universe as well. We have to find her.”

“But what if she’s already… crossed over to her own reality?” asked Hunk, worried. “Or what if this is all a trap? Oh, man, I have a bad feeling about this!”

His last words caused everyone to pause, uncomfortable; Hunk was almost always right about his premonitions, and quite often things would have gone easier if they had listened to him. 

And none of them had forgotten all the times he had saved them. But it was the first time, in six years, that they were facing a dangerous decision where all the choices were bad. 

“We’ll have to be careful, but we can’t risk losing her,” Keith insisted, and Pidge could see his reluctance to enforce this choice on them. “And we have to act fast and efficiently; Coran, do you have any ways for us to communicate?”

At that point, several protests echoed in the room, while Coran silently went to get some devices;

“What? We can’t split up!” said Hunk, eyes wide in horror. “We’ll be more vulnerable to the other reality Altean’s treachery!”

“I’m with Hunk on that one!” Pidge chimed in, and Keith turned a gloomy look towards her. She swallowed hard, trying to make her point valuable; “We don’t know anything about her and her technology, and I don’t believe she could just have disappeared in thin air. It’ll be safer if we stick together.”

“Keith, with all due respect…” started Shiro, trying to maintain a peaceful voice. “Even with intercoms, the Altean is one step ahead of us. It’s too dangerous…”

“And, if we don’t find her, then our whole universe will be at risk,” argued Keith. “I don’t like this idea more than any of you, but right now, we’re losing time!”

Pidge noticed that Lance had stayed quiet since the moment he told them about their theory, and another weight fell on her shoulders. She hadn’t gotten a single moment of intimacy with him yet, but the more time advanced, the more she felt the need to spend a few minutes alone with her friend. She was well aware of all he was going through, and she hated to see him withdraw himself in the darkness this way.

She noticed all of that at the moment she saw him open his mouth, and found herself hoping he would turn the situation around, hoping that he would make fun of their nervousness, reassuring their fears and showing them light where everything seemed dark. But a wave of sadness and despair hit her as he blurted out with such a dark voice:

“Keith’s right.” He exchanged a gloomy look with their leader, before he continued on an equal tone: “We’ll cover more ground if we split up. This way, we still have a chance to get ahead of them before more of them come. We’ve faced situations like these before, and we’ve gotten out of them alive. It’s only one Altean…”

His voice may have been dreary, but in his eyes, Pidge could see his pain. He was broken, and he felt like everything was hopeless. And if Lance didn’t believe in their chance, how could they?

It was at that moment where they felt, more than ever, Allura’s loss in their family.

But they all refrained their protest, as Coran faced them with small devices, designed to fit in the ear. He passed them to each member of the team, a mask of solemnity on his face, and when he arrived at Pidge’s level, he said:

“Pidge, I suggest you go check the Altean’s cell before you join the others in their research. You may find some clues about her destination, and with this…” – He showed her a device that fitted in the hand, oval, with a blue glowing dot at its top – “you may detect some trace of quintessence in the air, which would mean she had teleported, or crossed realities from there.”

He passed her the device, and Pidge was surprised at how heavy it was.

“Tassar and Deron will lead you to the cell.”

Pidge turned around, and she jumped slightly as she realized that the two Alteans hadn’t left the room. On Coran’s gesture, they approached, and she shuddered at their perfectly neutral expression. 

Coran stepped back and nodded towards Keith. Keith took a deep breath and said:

“Alright, everyone, if any of you find anything, contact the rest of us. And be careful; as Pidge and Hunk said, we can’t guess what she’s up to, and it would be easy for her to lure us into a trap.”

The team nodded, and he met each of their eyes; when he arrived to hers, Pidge saw how worried he was for them, she saw the depth of his doubts about his own plan. She noticed how he held Shiro’s gaze one second longer, and how much meaning there was in his eyes when he looked at Lance. She repressed a sad smile; was there a single reality where these two could just live a peaceful life, without any walls of doubts between them?

Then, on Keith’s signal, they all ran to a section of the Castle, already whispering through their intercoms.

Pidge turned to the Alteans, who looked at her without expression, and then picked up a pace, making sure every now and then that she kept up with them. Her nervousness grew, but she took her responsibility on herself and followed carefully.

The two guards guided her to the woman’s cell on a mechanical pace, while Pidge clasped the device against her chest, suppressing her fear and her suspicion. The Voltron team was definitely out of practice, and it had been a long time since she felt the weight of the universe on her shoulders. The more she advanced, the more she doubted their plan, and the more she wished she had all of her friends by her side. Splitting up may be the most efficient way to look for the Altean, but they were missing something, a crucial detail about her plan, and Pidge couldn’t help but feel they were heading straight into a trap.

The two Alteans stopped in front of a door and simultaneously turned towards her, pointing the room behind them. Their attitude was starting to give her chills, and she cursed silently not to have more courage in front of such a banal detail. Matt would be gently teasing her about it right now, but some part of her mind was restlessly searching through her knowledge of the Altean race, trying to guess what was wrong about the two she had in front of her.

She nodded awkwardly as she passed them and opened the door. Walking around the room, she tried to forget their empty stare and started looking for any detail that would give away the Altean’s location or the plan she may be following. She noticed her sword was gone, meaning she had taken it with her. Otherwise, the room seemed perfectly normal, and the cell was empty, just as the Altean guards had described it. Pidge got closer and, turning on the device, scanned the atmosphere around the cell;

“It’s weird,” she muttered for herself, looking around her. “The device don’t detect any radiation or quintessence in the air… And the cell is intact… The only way she could have disappeared was if she opened the door and ran away, past the guards and…”

She stopped talking abruptly, the realization striking her as she assembled all the details. The Alteans’ dead attitude… The lack of life in their eyes… The Altean woman gone…

Her eyes widened as a wave of fear came hitting her;

“It’s a trap!” she shouted in the intercom, turning around to face the Alteans just in time to see them advancing on her.

She didn’t have time to hear her friends’ response that she brutally had to jump back to avoid getting hit on the head by the first one, letting out an indignant yelp. The Altean, Deron, was carried along by his momentum, but, with a stunning agility, he turned his gesture into his advantage and, spinning round on himself, quickly aimed at Pidge’s left shoulder. She dived to the floor, but before she could catch her breath, the second Altean, Tassar, tried to kick her in her sides, without touching his target; if she hadn’t rolled out of the way in time, she would have been wounded in the ribs, a painful but not deadly hit.

Through the adrenaline and the fog of fear that had filled her mind, she realized one thing: the Alteans weren’t trying to kill her, only to knock her out of battle. She guessed that the Altean woman had an interest in keeping her alive, and she decided to take advantage of that.

Through her intercom, Pidge could hear her friends’ panicked shouts, calling for her name and asking her position, but she didn’t waste her breath to answer them yet. They were two against her, and they were physically stronger than her. But, without their fighting force or their free thought, she had a power over them. However, fighting them on their territory wasn’t a favourable option. If only she could get closer to the door…

Gathering all her strength, she violently kicked Tassar from the bottom of his chin as he dived in to catch her, almost knocking him out, and, using the floor for support, flung herself forward on her feet as Deron attacked, avoiding his fists and running towards the exit. Only, unlike his partner, Deron was quick, and he grabbed Pidge by her collar, brutally cutting short her impetus. Her breath choked in her throat, and, as she saw the completely neutral expression on her attacker’s face as she was struggling to get out of his grip, a new form of dread and anger wiped away any other thought from her mind, and she suddenly felt like she was one with the universe’s desperate need for peace. 

At that moment, she felt a warm wind on her face; time itself seemed to pause as she stared down in awe at her palms, above which green sparkles were swirling rapidly. In a bright flash of white light, she was suddenly able to free herself, and the Altean was propelled on the wall. In a comforting ray of green light, the triangular blade retracted to the small weapon, which familiar weight was reassuring in her hand. Amazed, she raised it to her eye level to convince herself that she wasn’t dreaming; but what had happened was very real, and the proof was in her hand: she just had summoned her bayard.

Unfortunately, her wonder was short lived: Deron, although he was a little stunned, got up quickly and prepared to attack his target again; because, in the hoktril’s grip (as the Altean woman surely had implanted one in both of her guards neck to be able to get away without suspicions), Pidge knew she wouldn’t be seen as more than the object of their mission. Which was even scarier than a fierce expression on a fighter’s face or a murderous sparkle in their eyes; their mission was to seize her for whatever use she was destined to, and they would do it without a second thought.

The only solution for her was to run; as she fled out of the room, she heard rapid and deadly footsteps running after her, and she turned sharply at the first intersection she met, perfectly knowing she would be lucky to even slow down her pursuer.

In her intercom, her friends were still calling out to her, and, as she brutally ducked to avoid Deron (who had suddenly jumped above her in the intention to trip her up), she yelled:

“I’m in a corridor in the West wing of the Castle, between the cells and the training deck! I’m being chased!”

Deron landed rather harshly and went rolling further in the corridor. Pidge, panting, took the opportunity to quickly turn around and run into the opposite direction, in a corridor she hadn’t taken. Her own footsteps echoed on the floor, and she was sweating from breathlessness and from dread as she prayed for her friends to find her soon. For the moment, the corridor was a one way, but she couldn’t double back, because from behind, pursuit noises reached her ears, pushing her to run faster, to keep going, even though she was near to exhaustion.

The corridor was turning to the left, leading to, as Pidge realized with despair, a room barely wider than the passage, walls covered with maps and plans, but no door or window; in other words, a dead end.

She gathered all the calm she had left and rapidly analyzed her situation; however, as she gloomily came to the conclusion that there was no escape from this room, it was too late to turn back: Deron had just turned in the passage, and was now blocking the last way out.

Driven back against the wall behind her, she could only watch with horror Tassar join his companion with an unsteady gait and advancing towards her, holding out a hoktril that their Altean prisoner had surely given him. With this dead expression and those empty eyes, Pidge couldn’t help but shudder with fear, holding out her bayard with shaky hands, but still hesitating to hurt them. 

But then, just as the Alteans were picking up a faster pace towards her, Pidge felt the ground shake roughly under her feet, and loud growls echoed into the night. She caught the wall behind her as Tassar fell to the ground and Deron looked around, unsteady, which stopped their progression. 

Shiro was the first one to appear further in the corridor, and, seeing Pidge stuck between the wall and the Alteans still struggling to reach her, he promptly reacted, anger flashing into his eyes: although tripping because of the vibrations, he rapidly ended up right next to Deron and, with a quick blow at the side of the Altean’s head, caused him to fall to the ground, out of battle. One by one, the other paladins and Coran arrived, holding on the walls to keep their balance, and Coran threw two pairs of handcuffs to Shiro. He looked bewildered;

“They attacked you!? Alteans attacked the Green Paladin!? Why? How is that possible? What happened!?”

“We don’t have time right now!” snapped Keith.

He looked frustrated, and Pidge figured that they hadn’t caught the Altean woman.

“Pidge, you alright?” inquired Lance, frowning at the two handcuffed Alteans on the ground as he and Hunk tried to get closer.

“Yeah, don’t worry for me,” she replied, smiling slightly. And then, she advanced towards the rest of them, asking: “What’s happening? Why are the lions so agitated?”

The growls were continuing, and a few times, a big chock agitated the ground, just like if one of them had decided to jump. 

“We don’t know yet, and if we’re done with them, we should get going,” said Keith, before his eyes fell on her bayard. Mouth slightly falling open, he asked: “Wait, is that…”

“It appeared in my hand when I needed it the most,” Pidge said, authorizing herself a smug smirk. “It was just like how you summoned your own bayard, when we were caught by Zethrid and Ezor, on our way back to Earth…”

Keith’s expression softened;

“I’m glad you’re safe, now,” he murmured, loud enough for her to hear through the vibrations.

Hunk gently patted her shoulder, and then, pointing the Alteans, he asked hesitantly:

“So, what are we going to do with them?”

Coran was already bent down next to them, where Pidge joined him;

“I think that our prisoner has coaxed them into getting near enough of the cell for her to implant hoktrils in their necks,” Pidge explained, frowning. “Then, she just had to ask for them to open her cell and run away. They could cover her on the way out, and then split us up so we were more vulnerable.” She paused one second, thoughtful. “I don’t know what she’s planning with us, but I think she needs us alive.”

Coran’s eyes had widened, and he turned Tassar over. Right at the back of his head, they could see a glowing light.

At that moment, there was a growl louder than the others, and then, with a vibration powerful enough to throw them on the floor, the wall of the maps’ room crumbled, and an enormous paw, followed by a green metallic head, appeared through the opening. Only then, the paladins realized that they were in a far more dangerous situation than what they had thought.

“Green, why did you…” Pidge started to shout, eyes wide, but then, an even more stunning apparition came through the opening.

“Romelle?!” Hunk exclaimed, not knowing if he should be happy or worried to see her. 

Despite not having seen the young Altean since a long time, Pidge was definitely worried; Romelle, after having wandered around with them for a few months without any purpose, had gone back with her own people on Altea, swearing that, after having lost so many of her close ones, she would never get mixed up in any battles that were not her own. Now, with her disheveled hair and bloody scratches all over her face, her ripped clothes and her eyes wide with horror, she proved them that their affair was serious, dangerous.

“Paladins!” she yelped, over the chaos. “Half of our people are acting mad! They were attacking those of us who tried to protect the Castle! Their eyes are dead, but a few of them are stranger to me, and in those I recognized a fire of anger and revenge! Most of us have retreated to your lions; the Green one started moving, soon after the attack started, and the rest of them followed as they were getting besiege.”

“What!?” Keith yelled desperately. “There was only one Altean from another reality here tonight!”

Romelle gloomily shook her head;

“Then, more of them arrived,” she simply said.

The vibrations were continuing, and now, the paladins could hear the clamour outside.

“What do we do!?” Lance shouted, and Pidge noticed that he was looking at Keith with a mix of distress and hope in his eyes.

“Now, we…” Keith started, but he was interrupted by a loud feminine voice that echoed throughout the Castle. They all stared at each other, with different degrees of fear showing on their face;

“Paladins of Voltron,” teased the voice, and Pidge recognized it to be the other reality Altean’s. “The Castle’s system is corrupted; more than half of this planet is too, by our technology. We outnumber you, and that, throughout all your universe. And we continue to spread our grip. Soon, your universe will become one with ours, and none of you will be able to recall the days you were free. You can’t resist forever, as soon, we will take care of your pitiful Coalition and sap the fighting force from all those who oppose to our reign. We, pure Alteans, have technologies that you can’t fight. Do you surrender yet, or will you persist to believe their is still hope for your universe?”

They stayed silent for a few seconds, horror spreading through their system with the strength of a storm. Then, Shiro chimed in:

“There is always hope, and no reign can go on forever if no harmony exists. Together, we need to end this.” His voice reduced to a murmur, and Pidge perceived bitterness in his tone: “I know this is going to be hard, but the only option is to abandon Altea, for now…”

“What?!” yelped Lance, Romelle and Coran at the same time. 

“We can’t leave those poor people to suffer here,” protested Hunk.

“There must be another way!” exclaimed Coran with anger and disgust. “These… Alteans, as they call themselves, but let me assure you that they do not deserve this title, they may destroy everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve since the war… Since Allura’s sacrifice! She wouldn’t have given up on her home planet!”

“I know, Coran,” Shiro said on a peaceful tone. “But the whole universe is risking, too, to lose all they’ve worked for…”

“Besides,” Pidge blurted out, “I don’t think they’ll destroy Altea. I mean, there’s no interest in losing all those resources for them. And we can’t come up with a plan when we’re in the middle of a battle…”

“But they’re all losing their free will to those… horrible beings!” desperately argued Coran.

“I know this is a scrappy plan, to just run off like this…” said Shiro, voice broken. “But we can’t fight them where they’re the strongest. We need to bring our advantage into the battle.”

He stared deep into Coran’s eyes, openly showing his distress and his wrench to be reduced to such a solution. Coran was stubbornly refusing to believe in abandoning Altea, but then, Romelle said on a soft voice:

“Coran, they are right. The paladins must go. If they get caught by these beings, our biggest chance to resist will have faded away. But us, we can stay here, with our people. And I am aware of the risks,” she continued, her voice rising to cover the paladins’ protests, “but you will need spies and allies through your enemies’ system. While the paladins free other citizens and find a way to neutralize the hoktrils’ effects, Coran, we can recruit as many of our people that are still free as we can, and we’ll be able to find out more on the plan the other Alteans are working on. With both parts of our team combined, we’ll fight them more efficiently than we could if we don’t separate.”

Pidge had opened her mouth to protest, but then, she realized that this may be their best chance to kick these Alteans out of their reality; Coran and Romelle spying on their own territories while the paladins looked for ways to drive them vulnerable. 

“It’s… actually brilliant,” she let out, defeated. 

She saw her friends thinking the plan through, and then just nod slowly. Coran, after a few seconds of thought, exclaimed:

“There’s a hidden place, in this Castle, that no one knows about! Allura and I were the only ones, and now…” His voice was slightly broken, but then he cleared his throat and continued: “Romelle and I will gather our people together there. But now, paladins, you need to go!”

Pidge jumped as an Altean figure appeared in the opening of the wall, and quickly activated her bayard, knocking them out without much pity; she had noticed the murderous glitter in their eyes, and she knew it wasn’t an Altean under the hoktril’s grip. 

Nonetheless, the attack shook the paladins out of their trance, and, as they recovered their senses, Coran pushed them;

“Go, go!” he urged them. “Fly out of this planet and go back to Earth with the hoktril; your scientists may find a way to infiltrate through its system, or to create alternate devices. We’ll contact you as soon as we find a safe way to do so, and we’ll warn you if there’s anything new here. Now, go!”

The paladins hadn’t needed him to repeat twice; as Coran shoved the hoktril in their hands, two other Alteans, this time empty and acting against their will (if they could have recalled it), were jumping towards them. The team ran to the opening, harshly shoving them out of the way, and fled to their lions. Coran and Romelle had disappeared from the passage, and Pidge hoped they were fine. 

Green was still waiting for her through the opening, and Keith shouted:

“Pidge, get into your lion, and cover us as we get into ours, but try not to hurt anyone; we don’t know who’s on our side and who’s not.”

“Roger that!”

Putting a hand on Green’s jaw, she murmured:

“Now, that’s us against them, girl.”

Then, she ran inside her mouth and promptly got to the cockpit, where she jumped onto her chair and grabbed the controls. As she straightened up her lion, she was able to make out, through the mass of fighting Alteans, four little figures running in the lions’ direction. Her lion roared threateningly, and she advanced to shove attackers out of the way, freeing a path for her friends. The screams and the shouts were reaching to her ears, and she winced, muttering for herself:

“Well, we’re all definitely out of practice…”

Honestly, the escape was far easier than what they had expected; with Green covering the paladins, they could quickly and without too much damage get to their lions, while the Alteans were, in panic, jumping out of the way to avoid getting crushed under a giant metallic paw. One by one, the lions lit up;

“Alright, everyone!” said Shiro through the intercom, and Pidge figured that he had taken place next to Keith, in Black. “Now, let’s fly out of here!”

Looking at the sky, the four lions, with a last roar, took off, leaving behind the battle, Altea, Coran and Romelle to a concerning and dangerous situation. But they had all agreed to do this; why did her heart still pinch this way?

She could hear her friends whisper incoherently through the intercom, maybe trying to convince themselves they were doing the right thing. But there was one whisper that stuck with her; as Altea reduced to a small blue dot in the darkness of space, Lance murmured:

“I wish you were here with us, Allura…”


	4. The Past is not the Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me! I really hope you enjoy the story so far, and if you have criticism of any kind (for my fanfic and for the show, that you'd like to see a closure to), feel free to write it down, in the comments or on my tumblr.
> 
> For this chapter, I have a special thank you for azure_mirror (tumblr and amino name), who agreed very nicely to give me the rights to use her theory in my story. It clarifies so much things and makes so much sense, and it also brings a closure to... a particular condition, which you will understand as you read. See the end to know exactly which theory I'm speaking about.
> 
> Thank you, azure_mirror! And enjoy!

In space, the endless void can drive one crazy. In space, the feeling to fly becomes a symbol of instability and of distress. In space, the lack of comforting noises is heavier than the weight of realization one can get by looking at the infinite darkness. And both together, even without gravity, drags down the bravest being in a whole universe.

More than often, the paladins had to fight off the urge to turn back and rush to Altea, or at least to contact Coran and make sure he and Romelle were alright. It was hard, the hardest thing they could do; abandon a planet full of innocent and friendly beings, leave their own friends and allies behind… 

The atmosphere was tensed, strained. Despite the tempting call from their lions and the feeling of joy and calm all the paladins had felt earlier, they hadn’t been prepared to give up so fast on the peace they had struggled so much to weave, in another war. A silence of apprehension and worry, of despair and dejection was growing darker, heavier. All of them had withdrawn into their own thoughts, probably as gloomy as the general mood. 

Shiro was standing behind Keith’s seat, in the Black Lion’s cockpit. Even he was disheartened, exhausted, to the point where he had stopped trying to find a light in the darkness of his mind. The weight of an upcoming war had fallen on his shoulders, and he felt responsible for all the sufferance people were living through just because they had let themselves go…

“No, I can’t think this way. The universe needs us, and bringing ourselves down will bring nothing but more weakness within our team. We believe in ourselves, we believe in our success,” he kept repeating to himself.

But even his mind was foggy, now; fighting off his anxieties and his personal demons had made him worn out, and his migraine was coming back, adding itself to the buzzing inside his head.

Several times, he had noticed Keith’s discreet glances above his shoulder, in his direction; no doubt, the boy was concerned. Shiro wanted to tell him not to worry about him; as the leader of Voltron, Keith had enough responsibilities to add Shiro’s own problems on top of that.

It was like as soon as the panic and the adrenaline had worn off, a heavy blanket of weariness had stifled the paladins’ determination and motivation. Now, they were only resigned to whatever their fate would be.

And none of them actually hoped it to end brightly.

Maybe the inaction was making them feel frustrated; for sure, all of them felt guilty, ashamed to have left Altea right when it needed them the most. Even if they had all agreed that it was for the best. Their mission as defenders of the universe wasn’t to flee like cowards, it was to courageously face the dangers! Deep down, Shiro knew that taking off from Altea’s lands had actually been the most courageous decision the paladins had ever made: they had stifled their fears to give up on their friends’s fate so they could give the rest of the universe a better chance, following a brighter and more logical plan.

As they drearily flew between galaxies and stars, Shiro realized how much he missed the old Voltron’s time; that time where there was seven of them, all laughing for the dumbest things, that time where forming Voltron was an excitement for all of them, that time where they felt strong altogether, powerful, good…

Maybe they had been ignorant. Innocent. Now, since their own home planet had risked being destroyed, the whole universe had nearly disappeared and especially, especially since bringing back peace had costed one member of their team, their family, they didn’t feel that same strength anymore. They had realized that they were the most vulnerable, that the sacrifices could come from within their own team. It was like they were now apprehending who would be the next one to vanish.

That gloomy resignation frightened Shiro more than any battle and any sufferance he had borne throughout all his journey. 

“Shiro, are you alright?” Keith murmured.

Shiro blinked rapidly, dispelling his thoughts and coming back to reality. He saw the worried frown on Keith’s face as the young man turned to him. 

He nodded, taking a deep breath and recovering his calm.

Keith examined him for a second more, before he turned back to face the infinite darkness outside Black’s eyes. 

Shiro grew even more desperate: he was aware of how much weight and darkness Keith was keeping hidden from the bare eye, and he didn’t want him to absorb his own. One day, Keith would grow too heavy with all he would have to deal with, too weary, and this day would be too late. 

However, Shiro was relieved to see, at last, the young man open up to his friends and accept help from others, when he had spent his childhood struggling with these issues. He was proud of Keith, and he secretly hoped that, now that he gained more confidence, he would get closer to some who needed him.

Someone, very unique, who needed Keith to hold his hand and guide him out of the darkness he had surrounded himself with. Someone who they were all worried about, but could only watch helplessly as he sank deeper. But someone that only Keith was able to comfort.

And Shiro knew that Keith looked for moments like these with that unique someone.

A new wave of sadness hit him as he regretted those times where, in situations as dark as this one, Lance would always crack a smile and carry them away with teasing comments and comforting giggles. He was the spirit of the team, the motivation and the energy. Without him, they were all stuck in this desperate atmosphere.

But then… the heart of the team was also missing… Allura… Without her, how could they all have been brought together? They would never have formed a family this strong if she hadn’t been there…

As for now… The team wasn’t as strong, now, but they needed it to be. For her, for her home…

Surely, there must have been another way to bring back all realities! And now, they were endangered again. They had given up on her so fast, why hadn’t they come up with a better plan, one that would also have provided a long term safety for their reality, and all others?

Why weren’t they looking for a way to bring her back?

Shiro shook his head, but the idea had taken shape in his mind; maybe, just maybe, this actually may be the place to start… 

Just at that point, a hesitant voice broke the unbearable silence;

“What… what can we do now? We won’t just fly forever aimlessly like this!”

Surprisingly, it was Lance, and if his words hadn’t had the purpose of putting a smile on his partners’ faces, they surely made a little animation rise from their daze;

“I don’t know, maybe we could… communicate with ships or planets nearby?” Hunk proposed. Shiro understood that he didn’t actually have a plan, but that he had figured anything would be better than flying solemnly like that. “Or we could send warnings and distress signals for anyone who’d pick them up?”

Pidge’s reply came automatically:

“No. If we randomly send distress signals throughout space, we’re just going to give away our location. If the Altean was telling the truth, she has numerous allies on our reality, which means, more enemies for us.”

From the weight of the silence, Shiro perceived everyone’s despondence in front of that affirmation. Keith’s knuckles were white from the hardness of his grip on Black’s commands, and he was clenching his jaw, staring into the distance, probably bitter about their vulnerability and their inaction. But, slowly, he nodded, swallowing hard;

“Pidge is right,” he let out reluctantly. “We can’t make mistakes out of ignorance again.”

Shiro approved his decision; the situation was tricky, and they couldn’t charge straight into danger without risking to lose their pitiful advantages. Keith, as much as the rest of the paladins, had been able to recognize that, which proved how much they had grown, how much they had gone through together. If the sake of the universe didn’t hang on the balance, burning the joy of their reunion and leaving only ashes of adrenaline and worries, Shiro would be proud of them.

However, as he realized gloomily, the danger only kept at edge because the Altean had been surprised; the fact that only the paladins knew about the intruders could rapidly turn against them. For now, they were free and, unless the lions’ sensors were broken, not followed or tracked, which gave them an advance. But if they were caught before they could warn anyone, the whole universe would silently lose all diversity and free will without its inhabitants even aware of what happened around them. 

They had to act efficiently;

“In that case, Pidge, what do you suggest?” Shiro inquired on a calm voice.

Pidge didn’t miss a beat;

“Get in touch with our own allies. Gather the Coalition together. Warn every planet we meet of the danger.” Her tone was firm and her voice determined, maybe destined to cover her worries for the state in which they would find their friends. “Most of all, find a technology allowing to create a wormhole so we can get back to Earth as fast as we can.”

He nodded, but his heart grew heavy. No one was saying a word, but they all wished more than anything for their planet to be safe, to stay hidden in its faraway galaxy. Not to get their people involved in that whole thing, to let them breath, unaware of the new war that had exploded because of them. 

He thought about Curtis, peacefully waiting on Earth for his return, maybe in a ship with Iverson for the weekly security patrol into the solar system. Wondering if Shiro was enjoying taking commands of his own ship despite the solemnity of the ceremony, totally ignorant of the imminent danger for his planet.

Of course, Shiro knew his husband was strong. He wasn’t afraid that Curtis would blame them for having brought an imminent threat upon the Earth, and he knew he would support and fight with the paladins to bring back peace and goodness in their reality. But – and it must be how everyone felt about their loved ones right now – Curtis… he was the world, to him. He was… his roots, his wings, his reason to come back, his reason to fight… His only family back on Earth.

 

When he was twelve, Shiro had been diagnosed with Becker Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative muscular disease that would weaken his form in various areas of his body. Most importantly, in his case, his heart muscle layer would deteriorate at an alarming speed, greater than any other patient the doctors had ever seen, reducing even more his lifespan than those who were normally affected. He would not make it past twenty-seven, thirty, if he was lucky. He had been devastated, and his parents too.

He had always been an easy child. Open. Curious about life. Attentive, dreamy. Determined. And, past the denial, the shock and the terror, he had accepted his fate. However, his parents never had.

No one, even the paladins, had ever heard about them, and he didn’t have the intention to change their perception of him. Only Keith had known about his illness. 

Shiro had gone a long way since he last saw his parents, and he had forgiven them, moved on, but he was reluctant to recall all the years he had lived with them. The Shiroganes always had been so strict and severe, never letting him commit his own mistakes nor hope for his dreams to come true. But they loved him, and they proved it by restraining even more the slight freedom and control he had on his life, for his own good and safety. Or so they said.

From then on, Shiro had had to wear a band on his arm, that would keep track of his muscle condition, always reminding him of the shadow of death hanging over his head. He couldn’t walk alone to school, and as soon as he came back home, he was locked away in his room, to make sure he wouldn’t get his situation worse. 

His mother would always watch him with a solemn look, and never would she let him enjoy simple things, such as running outside in the rain or starting a snowball fight with his neighbours, or anything that would get his heart rate slightly elevated. His father would always yell after him when he would try to explain himself and gain a little liberty in his movements, and he would forbid him to simply hang out with the friends he never had. Shiro, who only wanted to live a whole existence within twenty-five years, was reduced to wish for death to come even faster.

His parents had restricted him so much under the name of love, and Shiro had wanted so desperately to open their eyes, but they were too stubborn and severe to accept his dreams. At one point, he had stopped trying and had looked for a way to dig his own path by himself. When he had discovered about the Garrison’s program, he had been fascinated and never wanted to look back. His parents had told him it was ridiculous, that he only putted himself in danger, but Shiro had held his point with such determination that, on the edge of breaking, they had shouted him to go, but to never expect them to shed a tear for his last takeoff. If he chose space over them, then he didn’t love them as much as they had done.

It wasn’t the case, but Shiro had left, in hopes to take off to his dreams before illness could catch up with him.

For so long, his parents had stained his existence with a fear of death that, now that he had been able to really live and love, he had felt like his passions were rushed. He had never heard of his parents again, even after he had come back to Earth, as a hero and a healthy man. And maybe it was better this way. But it hadn’t refrained him from hopefully looking for them in the crowd, to reunite with them, after all this time…

Because he would never have thought he would come back to Earth, after all that happened. When he had been abducted, on the Kerberos mission, his eyes had been opened at last on all that he had kept refusing to admit; after Adam left him, he had realized that he never had come to term with his illness. Restless, he always had wanted for more and more, until exhaustion would kill him more surely than his disease. And by two times, people had turned his back to him so they didn’t suffer from a love he hadn’t been able to plainly give back. 

He had forgiven them, he had forgiven Adam, but never had the chance to tell them. To tell them he loved them. 

Especially now that he was freed from his illness; the Galras’ experiments on his body with quintessence had grown his muscles strong and powerful, and his consciousness had been transferred into another body. He didn’t have any trace of his disease anymore, only a slight uneasiness when he thought about the unexplainable trouble Haggar had gone through only for a small human being.

But it wasn’t the point; now, he could breath like he never had before, and his whole heart, since freed from the imminent last beat, could hold all his love and passions, even more now that he had found his true families. The paladins, and Curtis. 

Curtis had always respected him, as a commander and as a person. As a human being. He held out his hand to take Shiro with him to his dreams, he protected him from his fears, he happily shared unforgettable experiences and distressing struggles with him.

And it didn’t matter, that Shiro didn’t have his illness anymore. Because, illness or not, Curtis would have followed him to the depths of the universe. Shiro would have loved and dreamt all in one wonderful adventure. Even if it had been bound to end in death.

Shiro shook his head and smiled sadly; even if he had hoped to protect his husband, Curtis would never accept to stay on the ground if the battle was in space, especially when his significant other would personally have to deal with war again. 

“Do we… do we even have a plan?” started Hunk on an hesitant voice. Shiro could feel his nervousness, even from his side of the intercom, and he immediately felt guilty not to have the words to reassure him. To reassure them all. “Will we be ready to face the Alteans once and for all, and throw them back into their reality before they can make too much damage?”

A soft wave of murmurs gradually raised within the paladins, but Keith cut short all of their worries;

“We’ll find a way,” he asserted on a confident voice. Shiro noticed that Keith had slightly turned Black’s head to be able to watch his right side, where only the Red Lion could be seen. A barely noticeable fond was on his face as he continued: “We may not know how to defeat them now, but soon, they’ll realize that we’re not as helpless as they seem to think.”

“If only we could know more about them…” Pidge muttered, dejected.

“When you worry too much about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.” Shiro could practically see her expression soften as he quoted her father’s words. “Come on, now, paladins; patience yields focus. Don’t give up on hope; we’ll need it.”

 

Hunk remembered everything from his adventures as a paladin as if it was yesterday. He thought about it, he dreamt about it, he even had waves of nostalgia from time to time. And never, never any of their flights, as defenders of the universe or as friends, never any of their journey had been so fogged by sadness and guilt. 

Now, he wasn’t going to go as far to pretend they always had fun; much of their missions had been driven by dread and adrenaline of survival, and countless times they had seen the horrors of war, of destruction, of hatred… 

But they always had been linked by their journeys. Their lions strengthened the bond between the team and themselves, and the paladins, despite many heated arguments and rivalries, always had each other’s back, always trusted each other with their life. And that was precisely what had made them win their battles: they may not be the most powerful, nor the eldest, but they had the strongest friendship, that had always made them through the challenges.

Even after the most upsetting missions, a voice would rise among them to reassure everyone, to comfort the rest of the team and to light up the mood. A hand would be held out to embrace anyone in need, anyone who’d cry alone at night. As Voltron, they were as one, one spirit and one heart.

But now, their guilt and their despair was oppressive; no one was speaking, trapped with their own depressive thoughts and scared to drag their distress further down, heart growing heavier with each moment of silence, threatening to explode at any minute. Hunk couldn’t see them, but he could feel Shiro’s desperate attempt to stand tall and strong for them, Keith’s pale and tensed face, pushing away the blame he putted on himself, he could feel Pidge all huddled up on her seat, eyes full of sorrow, and Lance’s empty gaze, his head low, hands shaking on the commands as he barely made out his surroundings. Hunk himself wasn’t doing any better; waves of panic, of “this is insane!” were filling up his mind just like a flowing tide. He just had to grit his teeth and pass through them as they came, to concentrate on keeping his sanity.

Many hours had passed; it felt like days. Each moment got them further from Altea, and Coran still hadn’t contacted them. Without a wormhole, they couldn’t get anywhere fast, so they just kept flying into the abyss of space, without actually seeing their progress. Maybe they were just out of practice, or maybe they always had had too important things on their minds, but Hunk couldn’t believe they never realized how small and empty they were into the infinite darkness, even in their lions.

They doubled an asteroid; Hunk wondered if it flew as aimlessly as them. Hours, and they still hadn’t come up with a plan. Hours, and they still hadn’t seen any planet nor satellites that could guide them. They didn’t know where to start.

At the edge of his consciousness, he could feel Yellow trying to reassure his fears; her soft purr wanted to show him a path, to awake determination and excitation in him, but he didn’t feel like it was fair to burst in joy when his friends were so gloomy;

“Together, my paladin, we are strong, and no one will ever defeat our courage and our bond.”

“But only the team can make hope arise, and it is hope that we need,” he thought as a reply.

Yellow didn’t answer to that.

Hunk sighed, trying to dispel the mist of depress in front of his eyes, but only achieved to bring back his own worries within his mind; he didn’t blame anyone to stay withdrawn into their silence instead of stepping in and lighting up the mood, as he himself couldn’t shake off his apprehension and anxieties. He tried to distract himself by thinking about his family, but only brought back memories of the Earth when it had been abducted, fearing it might happen again. He thought about Shay instead, her soft eyes and the sparkles in her look as they watched a sunset, but it turned worse; he had been so worried about the Earth and Altea that he never realized that thousands of planets full of friends were far more vulnerable than his! 

Hunk fought off the urge to yell and head directly to Balmera, to make sure his girlfriend’s people were alright, but deep down, he feared that it would be a terrible mistake; for now, they didn’t have any proof that other planets had been attacked, and they had to be careful. Landing on a stable ground would draw far more attention than staying clear from its atmosphere. They had to be logical, to act and reason lucidly, without letting feelings take over their minds.

But it was the hardest thing to do; the more they progressed, the more frustrated and impatient they became. Especially since they all kept their anger within. Any minute, now, someone would explode and drag everyone into a situation worse than the one they were already stuck in.

Hunk realized how dangerous the silence started to become, and, for the sake of the whole universe, but particularly for his friends, he decided to push away his fears and to regain his lucidity;

Their overall plan was to find a technology allowing them to open a wormhole and get them back to Earth as fast as they could. Meanwhile, they would get in touch with every planet they would meet and agree with appropriate defensive measures with their leaders. But so far, they hadn’t seen any planet, and time was running out. They had to make their way instead of waiting for it to open in front of them.

As bad as he wanted to reach Balmera, Hunk painfully drew his inner strength and pushed away his own desires as he softly blurted out:

“Guys, do we have a real destination?”

If his question didn’t get a satisfying answer, at least, it broke the silence; he heard shuffles from the other side of the intercom, as if his friends were suddenly straightening up and shaking themselves out of their lethargy. 

“Well… ultimately, Earth, we hope,” Keith let out, some trace of weariness in his voice. “But we can’t get there…”

“We can’t get there without a wormhole,” Pidge finished, resigned. Hunk could tell her frustration not to be able to build a technology allowing them to travel faster, and he was sorry for that: Pidge had done so much for them, she didn’t need to blame herself for an impossible task. “Otherwise, we’re still going to be there in a year. As much take advantage of that and establish defences everywhere we go…”

“But we haven’t reached any other planet lately!” exclaimed Lance. In his voice pierced all the distress he wanted them to forget. “I’m with Hunk on that one: we need a concrete destination. Or we go back on Altea and fight them right now!”

“We can’t do that!” Keith intervened, but his tone revealed more empathy towards Lance than frustration. It was as if he silently agreed with the Blue Paladin.

Hunk decided to step in:

“If we need a wormhole, we should head to our allies who can open a wormhole,” he said as calmly as he could. “Or at least, who we think can help us to spread our warnings.”

In the depths of his heart, Balmera felt like a burning weight, screaming for his presence. He gulped, his throat dry.

“But where to start?” Keith asked, and Hunk felt that his words were carrying a silent pleading. “There are members of the Coalition on dozens of planets, spread throughout space, and which of them could hold technologies able to create a wormhole?”

“Daibazaal?” Hunk suggested.

His proposition surprised the team; a silence fell between the paladins, all of them wondering if it was the right decision.

In Hunk’s heart, there was no doubts; as soon as he had said those words, his determination and his urge had grown stronger. Daibazaal, the planet of the Galra race, was, as far as they knew, the closest to them in this system. Also, ever since peace had come back, Daibazaal maintained strong ties with Altea, to honour the alliances of old, between King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon, and they were powerful allies. If the alternate Alteans hadn’t taken over their planet already (which was a possibility that curdled his blood), maybe the Galras would help them fight against their enemies and find a way to get them back to Earth!

“Hmm, Daibazaal?” Pidge said thoughtfully, still not convinced. 

But before Hunk could explain his theory, Keith chimed in, a new energy in his voice:

“Yes! That’s brilliant!” Hunk could almost see his hands twitching on the commands, eyes sparkling with a fierce motivation. “They’re strong allies, with the right techniques. Plus, they’re going to help us spread the word; Krolia and Kolivan will send ships and messages to planets nearby, and if we can get my crew to help us…”

“You mean Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor?” inquired Lance, and even Hunk was surprised that his friend could remember Keith’s crew so well. He didn’t doubt Lance’s intelligence, but they all had seen how bad he was with names. 

“Or maybe it’s just Keith’s effects on him,” he thought for himself, a soft smile growing on his face.

He wondered if Pidge had noticed this as well as he had, and he imagined her smug and knowing smirk at the Blue Paladin.

Lance, not aware of their complicity, continued thoughtfully:

“They’re pretty fierce, so I guess they’ll be quite helpful…” he said distractedly. “I’m in for Daibazaal!”

“Well, if everyone agrees, let’s head right to it!” Shiro exclaimed, relieved to see the change in the team’s mood.

However, he was interrupted by Pidge’s yelp;

“Wait! There’s a planet at four o’clock!”

 

Unlike what the human race had thought for so many years, there is a huge variety of extraterrestrial life throughout the universe. Adaptation to a hostile environment, or at least hostile on human standards, has helped thousands of races to survive in pretty much any planet. Different habitat, different lifestyle.

Almost any planet in the universe could be inhabited. And almost all of them were. That was why Pidge’s exclamation caused excited murmurs to raise among the paladins. 

The planet had a ring of rocks around it. From their position, they could see the brownish green colour of its lands and a large area covered with water. It orbited close to a small star, which, according to Pidge, should make the average temperature similar to the Earth’s, if not slightly warmer. 

What a relief it would be, to gather allies around them! Hunk didn’t remember Coran telling them about this planet’s presence in his galaxy, but he figured that, since Altea had been restored in their universe only six years ago, the man had had other things on his mind than to examine all differences with the old and the new emplacement of his planet.

His friends already had started to talk about it;

“So do we go in, now, or we set off to Daibazaal?” Lance inquired, suddenly agitated.

“We should warn them about the alternate Alteans; they’re probably more vulnerable of an attack than planets on further galaxies, at least if we consider Altea as the starting point of the enemies’ actions,” Shiro said on his calm and assured voice. 

“Well, we still don’t know how they cross between realities,” Keith gloomily let out, “but it’s surely a good place to start. Paladins, get ready to enter… this planet’s atmosphere!”

Hunk, who had been strangely perturbed by Keith’s first words, had opened his mouth to protest, but Pidge was faster than him;

“Shouldn’t we communicate with them first? I mean, I scanned the planet, and I didn’t pick any radiations or abnormal vibrations in its grounds, but…” Her tone became hesitant; “This planet seems oddly young…” She cleared her throat; “We should announce our presence, make sure the ground is safe, or at least, prepare ourselves… if… if we’re too late…”

Everyone nodded, but fear and doubt silently crept into their mind. Reluctant, Keith opened a line with the planet and said on a firm voice:

“This is Keith Kogane, paladin of the Black Voltron Lion, asking for the permission to enter your atmosphere, do you copy?”

Hunk’s knuckles were white on the commands, and if he hadn’t been so stressed, he would have noticed the small jump of joy his heart had made when Keith had assumed himself as a Paladin of Voltron. Just like their days of glory.

They heard the sound of static through the radio device. Maybe the inhabitants hadn’t picked their signal. Keith was about to send another message, when suddenly, their screens lit up, thin face entering their line of sight, with greenish grey skin and big yellow eyes. Hunk’s mouth fell open, and he heard Pidge’s yelp of shock and awe through the intercom.

“Oh god…” Keith murmured in a whisper full of emotion.

Lance gasped softly and stammered out a few unintelligible words, completely struck by surprise. In front of them, on their screen, there was…

“Ryner?!” 

Pidge’s voice had gone an octave higher, torn between a cry of happiness and a sob. The rest of the paladins were staying silent, letting relief slowly fill their mind; all of them had thought the Olkaris had been lost with the destruction of Olkarion, even though Ryner had left them with a sparkle of hope, for both her people and their universe.

However, this time, the Olkari didn’t seem at all serene and pleased to meet with them again: her face was a mask of pure startle and terror in front of a situation they couldn’t see;

“Paladins! You shouldn’t have come,” she said, her eyes wide with panic, but soon, her expression hardened into determination. “But now you’re here, we need you! Enemies have come, infiltrated us and corrupted our technologies, turning our people and our planet against us! Brave Olkaris are reduced to puppets under a power we cannot understand…” 

The Olkari shuddered slightly. Brutally, an explosion was heard from her side, along with a clamour of shouts and orders. Ryner bent closer to the screen;

“Be quick, please!” she implored, and, as a second explosion, this time a lot closer to their hideout, detonated, she added in a whisper: “They may already be alerted of your presence here; they wanted you!”

The connection was cut as abruptly as it had come in, and for a second, none of them moved, still dazed by Ryner’s apparition. After all the yells and the detonations from down there, the space’s silence sounded even heavier, perfidiously sneaking in their immobility and inaction. Hunk could hear his own heartbeat, but he stayed petrified, just like the rest of his friends, until…

“No… No, not again!”

Pidge’s murmur had grown into a cry, a call of distress, a plea that came from deep within her heart and spread inside of all of their souls. The Green Lion’s eyes suddenly shone brighter, and it opened its jaw to let out a loud, threatening roar full of power. 

Before they knew, Pidge charged straight to the new Olkarion, and in a clamour of roars, all of their lions lit up and rushed after her, heading to the planet.

Unfortunately, Ryner was right; their glorious offensive was abruptly interrupted when four ships, dangerously alike altean engines, came out of the atmosphere and attacked in their direction.

The Green Lion, who had been first in their procession, brutally reared up to avoid their enemies’ shots and, flipping back, the canon inside her mouth lit up, aiming for the ships. The three other lions joined her as she put all power in her thrusters and dove straight forward. In their intercoms, the paladins could hear Pidge’s savage battle cry as she charged, bringing back the familiar (and even comforting) energy within the Voltron team.

The altean ships, which had separated their formation to avoid the giant ray of power directed towards them, were now forging in their direction at maximum speed, producing almost no sound in the endless void. The lions were cornered from four sides.

“They’re only four, for now, at least,” said Keith, and Hunk could tell his expression had become a mix of solemnity and fierce joy. “We need to engage before it’s too late. One ship each, and keep an eye on each other. We’re the Defenders of the Universe, and we have each other’s back!” 

“Let’s get over with them!” Lance shouted, and despite the immediate danger surrounding them, Hunk felt better to hear his friend’s excitation in a situation he always had been ready for.

“Voltron!!!”

The four paladins and Shiro screamed and engaged the battle with the alternate Alteans, shaking off their lethargy and depress, letting adrenaline run in their veins and carry with it the familiar bond with the team and the lions.

Hunk felt Yellow purring inside his mind, as nervously excited as him to fight again. Sharing their strength with each other, stifling fear and awaking courage, she and Hunk charged towards the nearest ship, which had already positioned for fire. 

Hunk was surprised at how mediocre its shots were, and a bad hunch crept into his mind, without cutting short his attack; he was able to avoid most of them, despite Yellow’s poor agility, and dove straight onto the ship, his lion’s armour impenetrable of the weak firing. He found it odd to win over the most advanced race in all realities so easily, but he didn’t linger on the fact, as he still had a ship to put out of battle; his heart jumped with delight as he rediscovered all the abilities and the power his lion possessed. Enhanced claws brutally sprung out from Yellow’s paws and tore down the fabric of the altean engine, destroying all weapons susceptible to damage them. Then, stifling his doubts and guilty pleasure to destroy other beings, Hunk turned towards the rest of his friends, analyzing their situation.

The Red Lion was facing its opponent, feinting a dive to the right to divert its attention and suddenly going for the left, grabbing with its gigantic jaw the ship’s wing to crush it between its teeth. Hunk winced slightly at Lance’s savage acclamations, but he smiled surprisingly, his heart a lot lighter as he watched, even for one second, his old friend being himself again.

Pidge was struggling with her attacker; she hadn’t evaluated the danger correctly, and now was directly in the ship’s firing range. Even though it hadn’t been a brilliant strategy with him, Hunk feared for the Green Paladin’s life, and he rushed to her side, brutally knocking aside the ship with all the strength Yellow provided. Pidge finished it off with Green’s tail, shooting laser at her enemy with a fierce cry. 

“Good one, Pidge!” Lance blurted out, panting. 

“Yeah, thanks, Lance. Thanks, Hunk”

The three of them turned to the Black Lion, still facing the last ship. Keith didn’t fire at it, despite the engine’s shots, instead avoiding them and keeping it at bay. When the four lions surrounded it, it stopped its assault and seemed to give itself in. Keith yelled:

“Surrender, now!”

Suddenly, their four screens lit up, to show the inside of an empty cockpit. There was no pilot, no Altean at its commands!

“All this was a trap, destined to keep us in the air while the real battle continued on the ground!” screamed Lance, outraged and desperate.

Hunk felt like he just received a blow in the chest, that emptied his lungs from all oxygen; oh god, what happened to the Olkaris?!

“NOOOOOOO!!!” 

Pidge forged ahead, right into the new Olkarion’s atmosphere. Hunk imagined with fear the murderous sparkles in her eyes, glittering only when enemies dared to touch her loved ones. And when anger created a thick red fog over her mind, stifling any clear and lucid thoughts that always were her strengths in battles.

He dove right after her, and despite Yellow being slower than the other lions, her weight plus the thrusters made up for her lack of speed. Hunk had kept fear at bay all the time he had fought, but now, it spread throughout his whole body, mixing with the adrenaline. He was scared, but he would fight, for his team, for the Olkaris, for Shay, for the whole Universe…

 

On the ground, the attackers didn’t spare their assault on them; vegetation was on fire, detonations echoed everywhere and made poor Olkaris fly off the ground, buildings and machines were crumbling down in a chaos of screams and desperate attempts to fight back… The Olkaris were a peaceful race, but had such advanced technological items and weapons that Lance always figured they would easily slay their enemies. It wasn’t a surprise that the alternate Alteans had attacked here first: the Olkaris could have become their biggest threat.

Standing in the middle of the massacre, the five of them, with only their bayards in their hands (or only their hand) rushed to help their allies; they had landed their lions further away, since they couldn’t risk crushing down their allies with too much power. On one side of the battle, the last standing Olkaris were bringing technologies of all sorts into the battle. On the other, alternate Alteans and their victims were charging onto the planet’s people. 

Lance felt the adrenaline and the excitation of a good old battle kick in, and his bayard changed into a long sniper, with which he had to take a few shots to get used to again. It felt reassuring in his hands, and, in the heat of the battle, he realized how much he missed passing into action with his closest friends at his side. 

With a whole bunch of yelling, he knocked out several alternate Alteans, who had threatened vulnerable Olkaris. At his side, he heard his team’s grunts and felt in his guts their familiar fighting techniques, which all linked together, bonded together, like a dance shared between all of them. 

He fired into the enemies, taking care of sparing their victims (who surely had hoktrils implanted into their necks), and an Olkari noticed him;

“Thank god you’re here, paladins!” he screamed over the sounds of the battle. “We didn’t believe the Defenders of the Universe still crossed our skies!” 

Lance turned around, and yelled as a reply:

“Duck!”

Fortunately, the Olkari understood, and Lance was able to shoot directly on the alternate Altean right behind him, who had probably taken advantage of his victim’s inattention to sneak behind his back. 

It didn’t stop the Olkari from speaking; as soon as he recovered his senses, he shouted:

“Paladin, why don’t you form Voltron?”

“Voltron?”

Another Olkari, an elder woman, this time, had heard her companion;

“Where is Voltron?!”

A few fighters around them, tired and desperate, shouted the call, and Lance couldn’t answer without destroying all their hopes.

“We can’t form Voltron, we don’t have the Blue Lion. And even then, who would pilot it? No one can replace Allura…” he thought gloomily.

Then, their side started to lose advantage.

The paladins were surrounded, almost isolated from the rest of their allies, and separated from one another. Hunk was using his whole body as much as his cannon, and as much as Lance would have wished to be at his side, as much to protect him as to be protected by him, the distance and the enemies between them were too important. Pidge almost seemed to be having a good time, defending herself with her hook and taking advantage of her agility and rapidity to avoid getting shot or caught by her enemies. Keith had drawn his Marmoran Blade, which had grown into a sword, and was knocking off all Alteans who dared coming too close to him. He was quite fierce, and Lance stayed dazed and flustered for a second, impressed by his friend’s strength.

Shiro was the closest one to Lance, and he definitively had the most trouble; despite his strong form and experience in battles, he only had the power of his weaponized hand against dozens of attackers at the same time. He was still reckless and didn’t spare himself, despite his situation degenerating to the ultimate state of hopelessness. 

Lance decided to jump in and fight with him, to let the man breath a little; knocking off alternate Alteans on his way, he laboriously approached him, enough to hear his fierce shouts. Lance shuddered as he realized why, many years ago, the prisoners abducted by the Galras had called Shiro the Champion: the man’s eyes were shining dangerously, dreadfully fast and strong in his offensives, and his whole face was hardened by the bloody resignation of survival. He would fight until his enemies’ death, or until his. There was no other issue. And no fear, no exhaustion, no guilt came in his way. Only survival. And death.

That same realization seemed to flash into the Altean’s eyes. The Altean that was facing Shiro into a single combat. It was a man, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with a deadly delight, the one that came only when one knows that their victory is near. 

Lance didn’t have time to linger on that fact, because he noticed an attacker charging straight into Shiro’s back. He shouted: 

“Look out!”

Before shooting the enemy in the back, knocking them out of battle. Shiro turned to him, smiling and shouting something back, but Lance couldn’t quite make out his words, because he was dragged away by the mass of fighters and of shots coming out of everywhere.

He bravely continued aiming for enemies, but his cause was rapidly turning against himself; soon, none of his friends were in sight, and he was completely isolated from the rest of his allies. It was hopeless. 

A dozen of Alteans had spotted him and ran in his direction, with swords or their version of snipers risen and in position to fire. None of his shots touched them, and they just kept advancing, already enjoying their victory over him.

His sniper was a good weapon for longer range shots, but as the Alteans were closing up on him, a great terror took over his guts, and suddenly he wasn’t in control of his own actions, of his own emotions. Around him, everything was blurred with a cloud of fear, and the only clear image, the one that stuck with his mind, was the sadist pleasure his enemies showed with his vulnerability. In a result, his bayard took its initial form: a useless handle in his hand.

But then, his vision cleared, and a almost peaceful wave of resignation shook off his panic. His friends were still fighting, joined by the Olkaris; they wouldn’t suffer long from his loss. They had a universe to save.

With a dreadful serenity, Lance waited to be entirely buried under the dozen of Alteans coming towards him. However, just as the closest one to him held out his arm to grab him, a strange silence seemed to cover all of his senses. He closed his eyes, in a state of infinite awareness; he could feel, right inside his mind, every one of his enemies’ inspirations and expirations. He could feel their impetus and the exact moment where they would strike. He could feel the new Olkarion begging him for one last attempt to save it. 

And suddenly, he opened his eyes, expression hardened, determination back into his being. He wasn’t scared, clueless, alone anymore. He was Lance.

His bayard shone of a bright white, and he swung it right inside of the wave of attackers, discovering with them a new weapon, one that gave him strength and agility, equity with his situation. The alternate Alteans realized all of that, but only too late. With the velocity and ferocity of a lion, he knocked out all of his enemies, lucid of his state but oblivious of his own pain, until only one warrior stood in front of him, totally at his mercy.

The alternate Altean’s eyes widened with shock and hatred, but she backed off, pointing her sword towards his chest. With her other hand, she touched something at the back of her skull, right at the junction of her neck and her head, and suddenly, all her people were cutting short their movements and turning towards her. Around them, all battle had stopped. When they saw Lance, they all kept a generous distance between him and them, staring suspiciously at him, and especially his weapon. 

But then, brutally, the alternate Alteans jumped to their feet and rushed altogether to the exact same spot; just in front the half burnt forest, there was some kind of wrinkle in the air, and all the Alteans seemed to vanish, as if they had run through a door. Lance just stood there, dazed, frozen, letting their attackers slip out of their reach. His new found energy seemed to have left him as abruptly as it had kicked in.

The adrenaline ran off, and his legs nearly gave way under him. Exhausted, he lowered his head and, almost surprised, raised a sword to his eyes, as if he had just realized it was here. While his friends rushed to his direction, shouting questions he couldn’t answer, he observed the artifact in his hand, too weary to form a single word.

His heart skipped a beat; he remembered where he had seen his bayard take that form. He was holding an altean broadsword. A single tear ran down his face, and he smiled softly;

“I’m going to need to work on my stance…” he murmured, sensing a fond chuckle over his shoulder. 

But when he turned around, he only saw a void that reflected the one he felt in his heart.

And Keith, who ran towards him with a mix of relief and determination in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you to azure_mirror (tumblr and amino name) for her theory about Shiro's Becker Muscular Dystrophy disease! You're amazing!


	5. The Old Gives Way to the New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Sorry for the little delay, I miscalculated my time. I try to post a chapter every two weeks, and I alternate between my two fics, so I post a chapter per month for each fic. It doesn’t always work out, but I won't give up until it's done!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> Love you all xxx

Thick layers of smoke rose from the withered ground, from where bombs had detonated and fires had been lit up. What had once been peaceful lands were now covered with abandoned weapons of all sorts, destroyed pieces of buildings, ashes, and worse of all, bodies. Too much of them, laying lifeless on their beloved planet.

The chaos of explosions, detonations and screams had now faded, replaced by the sound of the wind sweeping away dust and rests of the battle. Sweeping away the adrenaline and furor, leaving pain and void. 

The Olkaris were slowly walking on their land, starting to plainly realize the value of their loss. Some of them were already taking care of their passed away people; too shocked to bear the weight of a conversation, most carried on their gloomy work in silence, sometimes letting out a murmur full of sorrow for a grieving companion.

Lance watched all of that, completely frozen with horror. A treacherous wave of guilt threatened to crush his whole being; he was a Paladin of Voltron, tragedies like these should never happen! Weren’t they suppose to provide peace and serenity throughout the whole universe, without its people afraid that they wouldn’t be saved on time? Weren’t they supposed to relieve the pressure of a war before it happened, and not soothe the pain it had caused because they had arrived too late?

To him, the sunset was red with the blood of the fallen, with the blood of those he hadn’t protected. To him, the clamour of the combat sounded better than those soft cries and bitter whispers, lost into the strained atmosphere;

 

When the battle was over, Lance had apprehended his friends’ reprobation. After all, he had only stood and watched the alternate Alteans disappear into thin air instead of running after them. He deserved it.

But none of them had shown any sign of disapproval. In fact, they were all so relieved and weary that they had gathered together and simply… hugged. Of course, Hunk was one clingy guy, but Lance never would have expected him to have the power to reunite all of them this way. He supposed that they all needed to be comforted, reassured without opening up about their remorse, after that bitter defeat. Even Shiro had joined, even Keith…

Oh, Keith… 

The Red Paladin had run around, desperately trying to locate all of his team, who he had been terrified to lose in the battle. Lance had realized how close Keith had grown   
to them, even though he would never have admitted it years ago; Lance had (reluctantly, at the beginning) always accepted him as part of his new family, even when he thought the Red Paladin didn’t care about them. But now, he truly felt it; Keith’s presence meant to him as much respect and warmth as it had been irritation and recklessness in the war with Zarkon. 

Lance… couldn’t actually put into words what he felt towards the new Keith, but the changes definitely pleased him. Maybe it was because their leader would now reach to him when they needed it, without the terrible hesitation that had made it so hard for him to believe he was important to the team, or maybe it was because seeing Keith finally serene had made him happy, maybe it was those two reasons. And frankly, Lance was starting to believe that he shouldn’t look for reasons and facts to support his feelings, just to enjoy them as they came.

Just as Keith had come to him right after the battle ended;

His mind was fogged, his heart was gloomy, his entire body was so exhausted he could barely make a few steps forward, but he didn’t need to: Keith was running towards him with a mix of relief and determination in his eyes. 

Lance watched him with a glazed look; his soul was still full of weariness from the battle, awe in front of the Altean broadsword he had just summoned and shame from his defeat. He hadn’t actually realized that he had made an entire army run away from a planet about to lose, nor that the blade had been the one reaching to all his strength, nor that it had retracted, and Keith hadn’t helped at all; for a moment, his breath was caught into his throat and his heartbeat accelerated, mind lingering on how beautiful and powerful this fire in the Red Paladin’s eyes was.

There was concern, also; Keith arrived to his level, hair disheveled, hands and face covered with bruises, and he asked, panting:

“Lance! Are you alright?”

It had taken a few seconds for him to process the words, a few seconds in which Keith, frankly worried, grabbed his shoulders and stared right into his eyes. As unsettling, but oh so endearing, his look grounded him and gave him strength. He nodded, gulping.

Keith dropped his head for a second, letting out a big sigh of relief. His hands, still on Lance’s shoulder, were shaking slightly. He seemed just as exhausted as Lance.

He straightened up and had a tired smile, which Lance mirrored, uncertain. Keith suddenly realized their proximity and coughed, letting his arms fall to his side, his face reddening faintly. Lance blinked rapidly, surprised that his mind lingered for more of this simple but soft touch. 

 

“Blue Paladin!” a voice called behind him. 

Lance shook off his thoughts, slightly flustered, and he turned around. An Olkari motioned him to follow her, eyes empty, look dull. He lowered his head and walked after her, trying to ignore the restless guilt tugging him as the wind blew the echoes of their defeat.

Down the hill, he saw the Voltron team all reunited, seeming to wait anxiously after something. Neither of them spoke, probably feeling the same despair that filled Lance’s mind. 

From there, at least, he didn’t have a constant reminder of the mourning tasks in front of his eyes.

As he arrived at their level, the Olkari turned brutally and walked away on a rapid pace, unable to stay around them any longer. Lance felt a lump in his throat, but he refrained his emotions from showing up. His tears didn’t deserve to flow onto the new Olkarion, they weren’t pure enough to wash away the blood from its ground. At his side, Hunk patted his shoulder in a gesture full of sadness and empathy. Pidge and Shiro both had a strained smile, but they quickly looked away, expression full of worries. Keith, who was facing him, tried to catch his eyes, and when he did, he nodded softly, like to reassure him that everything would be alright.

Lance swallowed hard; he couldn’t allow himself to believe in that. He needed to stay harsh on himself to avoid any more lives to be lost, like today. Lost because of them. 

At that moment, an Olkari approached them on a firm pace. She had several injuries all over her body, there was an old piece of cloth wrapped around her right arm, holding it stiff, and her tunic, previously white with two red bands at each side, were ripped up at many places, but there was no doubt: even all beaten up, she radiated wisdom and determination, all that made her a leader.

The Olkaris’ leader. Ryner.

Lance truly admired her composure full of resolution, and for the first time since the alternate Alteans made their appearance, he felt reassured, like someone would finally have the control of their situation. However, something didn’t look quite right; Ryner, who had lived through rebellions and wars and countless years of a dark age, didn’t look one bit older; in fact, she looked younger.

“Paladins, we did not have a proper welcome for you,” she greeted with a tired smile. “I speak for my people when I say: thank you, for coming to save us.”

“We’re sorry we weren’t there in time,” Pidge replied bitterly. “And we’re sorry we brought this upon you.”

“There is no need to apologize, Green Paladin.”

Lance curiously detailed the Olkari; she had a red dot on her forehead, symbol of her leadership, and despite being kind of hard to tell apart the Olkaris, she didn’t quite match Lance’s memory of Ryner: apart from the fact that she looked younger, she wasn’t as skinny nor as tall. She didn’t have as much wrinkles of concern as Lance remembered. She wasn’t the same.

Keith had realized it too, because when he caught Lance’s look, he nodded, face hard and suspicious, hand close to his Bayard, like he wanted to warn him of an imminent danger. Lance was reluctant to act so rudely, but he had to admit that, after all that happened, it was highly probable that the alternate Alteans had already infiltrated their allies’ ranks with disguised spies.

“Ryner” noticed their frowns, but she didn’t seem offended. In fact, perfectly calm, she said: 

“I apologize for not introducing myself earlier; I am Rene, niece of Ryner. You may have recognized her in me,” she finished, glancing at Keith and he. 

Lance blushed slightly, and they all bowed their head in a symbol of respect and salute. 

“Rene,” Pidge inquired, frowning. “What happened to Ryner?”

The Olkari sadly shook her head;

“She sacrificed herself to make possible for our people to run away in time, when those gigantic robots attacked our planet. We never knew exactly what happened to her, but she will always stay in our memories.”

She turned her head to look behind; in front of the half destroyed main building, there was a statue that remained standing, even after the battle. It wasn’t nearly as tall or imposing as Allura’s, but it still reminded the nobleness of a great leader. Lance felt his heart pinching; so much sacrifices of such courageous people, and yet, they were still fighting against dark forces, just out of their reach and power. 

“But… Could she…”

Pidge’s eyes were pleading, desperate. 

“Green Paladin,” Rene softly interrupted. Her eyes glittered with tears, but also hope and fondness; “I remember the strength of your spirit. I know that you would have done anything for lives to be saved. But if Ryner hasn’t been found yet, it means she is truly gone. Believe me, it saddens me more than anything; she was my leader, my aunt, my hero, my confidant. But she chose her path, because she needed to be there for her people one last time, and her last words are to be forever in our heart, because ‘the old must give way to the new. It’s the way of the universe’.”

A small silence came between them. Pidge lowered her head, taking deep breaths as to refrain a sob. Rene let a few seconds pass, and then, just as softly, she continued:

“If I gathered you here now, it is because I fear we don’t have much time before these attackers come back; we have a few matters we need to discuss.”

“You’re right.” Shiro stepped in; his calm in front of the situation amazed Lance, and once again, he felt a wave of confidence filling his mind. “Those people were Alteans, but they come from another reality,” he added quickly, when Rene’s eyes had widened with fear and outrage. “We’ll help you install proper defences against them, but we need to act fast; they can spread their influence quite rapidly.”

Rene nodded, but Lance could see she hadn’t completely followed; Keith chimed in and summarized their situation and the deal with the hoktrils.

“I spoke with a few Olkaris that were caught off guards by the alternate Alteans,” he then said, addressing to the group. “Unfortunately, like Coran, they don’t remember much. However, all of them recall being approached by one of their own people before they lost their will, which means…”

“…that the alternate Alteans can accommodate to the form they want,” Hunk gloomily finished.

“Well, we can’t allow ourselves to lose any more time, then,” Rene announced, expression hardened with determination. “What do you need for your missions?”

The Paladins stared at each other, surprised but grateful that they could count on Olkarion’s help;

“We were thinking about analyzing one hoktril, to see if we can neutralize its effects,” Pidge replied hesitantly, “so if you have some ways to…”

“We’ll be able to arrange that,” Rene said. 

Keith handed out the hoktril they had found in Coran’s neck to her, and she grabbed it, observing it curiously.

“When we flew past your planet, we were heading to Daibazaal,” Keith continued quickly. “They were working with Altea, and maybe they would know a way to create a wormhole…”

“We have to get back to Earth,” Hunk revealed, worries piercing his tone. 

Rene slowly raised her head and nodded. Just by looking at her, Lance could sense her pain and her comprehension in front of their concerns about the Earth. He remembered how she has lost her home planet, too.

“Some of us will stay here to help with the defences, while the rest will leave for Daibazaal,” Shiro said, keeping his voice steady. “There has to be someone here, if Coran tries to contact us. Those who will leave will then come back here with, hopefully, the news we can wormhole to Earth immediately, if not, at least with allies from Keith’s crew.”

Keith nodded, and the rest of them agreed with the plan. Rene thoughtfully stared at Shiro;

“So it will be,” she let out after a few seconds of silence, in which their resolution grew stronger. “It’s been years that we haven’t come in touch with anyone else in the universe, but it hasn’t stopped those evil Alteans from finding our location. Maybe it is time to put prevention aside and fight for peace again; I shall contact planet Daibazaal to clear your way –”

“No!” Pidge exclaimed vehemently, making each of them jump. “Your planet can’t take more risk! You need time, time to recover!”

“She’s right,” Shiro intervened.

“Besides, your signal may give away Daibazaal’s location,” Keith gently said, “and if it hasn’t already been assaulted, we can’t risk losing every planet in this star’s system to their hands.”

He had tried to keep his tone steady, but a hint of fear pierced his voice, a fear that Lance recognized as his own; he felt the urge to bring Keith aside and convince him to trust him with all that weighed him down. As his leader, and especially as his friend, he couldn’t bear to see him stumble under his responsibilities without anyone to catch him if he fell. He understood and lived with these fears, and he couldn’t let anyone sink after him. One failure in their team was enough.

“Very well,” Rene said. “I will warn my people to keep their guard up and prepare for eventual battles. Green Paladin, will you help us? You seem to have a strong bond with our technologies.”

“It… it would be an honour,” Pidge stammered, pleasantly surprised.

“I will go to Daibazaal,” Keith went on. “It’ll be quicker if it’s me that gets in touch with Krolia and expose our intentions. Besides, my crew won’t listen to anyone else. The rest of you…”

“Wait, you don’t mean to go in alone, do you!?” Lance loudly blurted out, speaking for the first time in the conversation. 

His friends turned their heads in his direction, and he blushed faintly, but he didn’t give in and kept standing his ground.

Keith looked at him with a mix of impatience, softness and amusement, his head cutely turned to the side, but before he could reply, Shiro chimed in:

“Lance is right, no one stays alone.”

Keith opened his mouth to protest:

“We’ll draw too much attention if we’re many!” he argued. “The fi… the four lions altogether emit too much energy, we’ll risk to blow up our plan and our last chance to get back to Earth with a fighting plan that’s actually not crumbling into pieces!”

Pidge and Hunk started whispering anxiously with different degrees of frustration, but Lance remained quiet, weighing down their chances; all of their ideas so far lacked of crucial details, leaving them irritated, disheartened. Gathering allies, going back to Earth… They had all proposed it to hide their nervousness, to forget their apprehension, to dive in and erase their deep disquiet when in fact, all they did was wandering aimlessly in the fog of cruel doubts those alternate Alteans had created by their mystery. 

Shiro cut off his cowardly thoughts and Keith’s desperate words;

“I get what you mean, Keith, but we’ve already been caught into their traps,” he said harshly. “You won’t go there alone.”

“Fine!” Keith huffed, frustrated, crossing his arms on his chest. Lance smirked inwardly: old Keith had spoken!

“I do keep in mind your point with the lions; if you accept, I’ll come with you, inside Black,” Shiro proposed.

“Only one lion, but two heads to think,” Hunk murmured. “Yeah, seems good!”

“Maybe I can find a quick way to build a cloaking device on the Black Lion, like I’ve done on Green!” Pidge exclaimed hopefully, and Lance could see that she was thrilled in front of an occasion to prove herself in front of the Olkaris. He chuckled lightly.

“It’s settled, then.” Keith’s arms were still crossed, but he had regained his composure, and now spoke as the resolute leader they needed; “Shiro and I will fly to Daibazaal in the morning; Lance, Hunk and Pidge will stay here and organize the defences of the planet, and make sure Coran doesn’t get in touch with us at the moment there’s no one to help them.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Pidge was already deep into her thoughts.

“Perfect, then,” Rene said, and her lips stretched into a tired smile. “I’ll make sure my people will listen to your orders.”

“Thank you, Rene. Your help really means a lot to us.” Keith gracefully bowed his head towards her. “We should all get some rest; it’s been a difficult day.”

As their team separated, whispering between them, Keith came closer to Lance and asked softly:

“Hey… Wanna walk with me?”

Fearing his voice would betray his deep fluster, Lance nodded rapidly, already blaming himself for acting so needy. Keith looked relieved, though, and they picked a slow pace to the main building, leaving the hill and its distress in their back.

Lance found the silence too strained between them, but he couldn’t bring himself to break it, so he just waited anxiously for Keith to speak first. Keith let a few minutes pass, observing the destruction around them and letting it fill their minds, to give them determination, before he murmured:

“The way you made those Alteans run away, today… It was brilliant…”

Surprised, Lance turned to him, but Keith resolutely kept staring forward, refusing to look at him. After a few seconds, Lance muttered:

“I haven’t done anything; I stood there while they escaped us – ”

“No, Lance,” Keith interrupted, his expression softening. “We were crushed under their power, we would have lost on day one, if it hadn’t been for you.”

“… Thank you, Keith…”

A small silence settled between them, a silence in which Lance listened to Keith’s breathing; it was slow, even, calm, reassuring. If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe he was back on Earth, on a serene day, peacefully hanging out with Keith. They would walk in the mountains behind his house, lightly teasing each other and sharing stories, or simply surrounding themselves with the pure air and the rays of sun of a blissful life. He would invite Keith for supper, and his siblings would awfully make fun of his awkwardness, his nephews would giggle and his parents would imply… lots of things in their conversations, but it would be… joyous. Simple. Happy.

Lance opened his eyes with regret; it felt lighter when he could advance blindly through reality.

Keith took a deep breath, and Lance noticed the glum in it;

“It was a sword, right?” Keith inquired hesitantly. “What you summoned with your bayard; was it a sword?”

Lance, who had opened his mouth, suspended his answer; none of his friends had known about his altean broadsword. It had been between Allura and him, but now, could he hide it any longer? Besides, if someone deserved to know, if there was someone to whom Lance would have given his life, it was Keith.

“Yeah, it’s… altean…” he confessed, surprised that he felt so relieved. Keith had finally turned his head to look at him, and his eyes were full of compassion. 

“Have you ever summoned it before… before you, uh… gathered Allura’s quintessence?” Keith stammered, uneasy, but still open to Lance’s words.

Lance lightly touched his Altean markings;

“I… yeah, once…” he murmured. “You were with the Blade of Marmora, right after the end of Zarkon’s reign. Everyone had a lot on their mind, and there was a conflict within the team: taking the risk to fly Lotor to the… the Kral Zera, or not. It was a huge decision, that would have a lot of impacts, and I had just realized how much weighed on us. I was trying to let off steam, but I felt frustrated, and helpless. It’s… That’s when it happened…”

Lance cleared his throat, unsure if he should go on, but Keith stared at him with so much comprehension that, heart clenching, he said:

“Allura saw it; she was the only one. She said we’d work together, to help me become a better swordsman, I guess… I mean, I was a sharpshooter, not a… sharp-blader like you…” 

Keith snickered, which made Lance chuckle. Then, he sighed lightly, shivering with the chilly breeze of the night. Within minutes, it had gotten darker, and now, stars appeared into the sky. It was beautiful; to him, each star was a light that shone to guide the lost people of Olkarion.

“What happened then?” Keith whispered, understanding the false sense of infinity that filled their being.

Lance’s eyes flashed with a sudden pain before he shook it off and forced out a choked chuckle;

“Nothing,” Lance replied a little too bitterly. “Nothing… I guess we had too much going on… She never spoke to me of it again.”

Keith stayed silent for a moment. Lance suddenly regretted telling this: Keith had his own problems, his own worries, he didn’t need Lance’s on top of that. But then, the Red Paladin said:

“I’ll help you with it, if you want.”

Lance’s mouth hung open in awe, and it took him a few seconds before he could croak a pitiful:

“Really?”

Keith smiled in front of his disbelief, and he shrugged;

“Yeah, of course I’ll teach you.”

A wave of gratitude filled his heart, making all his pain and regrets melt into a refrained joy and excitement. Keith stared at him softly, and it was too dark for Lance to actually make out his expression, but he felt his whole being tremble, and this time, it wasn’t because of the coldness of the night. The Red Paladin suddenly turned his head away;

“I need to ask you something,” he muttered, a hint of guilt in his tone.

Lance’s heartbeat resonated into his ears as he struggled to get his breath back. He was too shaken to reply, too flustered and hopeless, but he focused all his attention on Keith’s words;

“While I’ll be gone… Would you want to lead the team for me?”

 

Stars were fading. Moon was giving way to the sun, its rays lighting up a sad scene of mourn and destruction. Most of the Olkaris had gone to sleep, if we call “sleep” an endless night of doubts and sorrow, of guilt and fear. The lands were covered with a thick layer of dust, dust from the explosions, but at least, the sight wasn’t filled with macabre images of deceased warriors. 

The amount of sleep Lance had gotten was pitiful, but it was even worse to fall back into nightmares he would prefer to forget. The most recurring one was about his family; he was standing behind them, outside, with an amazing view of the sky. They all looked up, immobile, quiet. When Lance raised his head to see the stars, he realized that there were no stars; only strange glowing turquoise lights, shining too brightly. Then, all turned grey, and his family turned around; horrified, Lance noticed their eyes of dead and their mouth hanging open in a weird angle. A shrilling noise would come out of their throat, and Lance would wake with a start gasping, tears flowing down his face, too frightened to dare to make a move. 

Or he would hear Allura’s voice whispering incoherent words, while he felt the skin of his cheeks burning down and revealing his pain and shame to the whole universe.

Lance had gotten out of the main building he and his team occupied, along with several now homeless Olkaris, rushing outside and feeling like he would throw up, before he had wandered for a few minutes, trying to clear his mind and gather his strength. 

He was heading to the Lions. Maybe, just maybe, he would have a chance to pass on his worries to an old and powerful spirit, and maybe he would get answers to his reckless anxieties about the battles to come; would Earth need to engage with the alternate Alteans? Would they find a way to fight back, despite not being able to form Voltron? Would they ever make up for Allura’s presence? Would their choices bring the end to the universe?

So much questions, and yet so little time to think. Was Keith assaulted with these same concerns every second? Did he have any time to rest the weight of his responsibilities off his shoulders since he became their leader? If not, Lance couldn’t imagine how much strength he had, to bear the whole universe all alone.

His heart sank a little when he noticed the Black Lion missing from their position. Startled with his disappointment, he shook his head, mad at himself for letting his mind drift so much while important things were going on, and approached the three other Lions.

With so little light, they were imposing, and even intimidating. There was, nonetheless, a few tired looking Olkaris taking quick glances at them, maybe too scared or seething with a sombre anger to stand being close to them. Lance couldn’t blame them: they had done pretty much all the fighting alone, even when they desperately needed help.

Sitting in the Lions’ shadows, there were two little figure; relieved, Lance walked closer to his friends, the only persons here who wouldn’t add more resentment on his already crushing pile of concerns, since they suffered with the same feelings too. Pidge was dozing off, her head sinking forward before she abruptly caught herself in the momentum, but Hunk seemed a little more rested, raising his head and smiling slightly to the Blue Paladin as he gestured to the ground beside him, inviting Lance to sit with them. 

Letting himself fall next to them, Lance sighed and looked at the Red Lion, still motionless. Her aura wasn’t as strong as it had been that night on Altea, and his heart sank a little, his worries only increasing as his mind remained restless. He also felt the lack of conversation itching his being, just like each time he knew it should be up to him to ease the pressure of the atmosphere, but that he was too weary and pathetic himself to do so.

After a few minutes of inner debate and protests, he heard Hunk stretching and moving closer to him;

“Hey… How are you holding up?”

Lance turned his head towards him, grateful that the silence was broken but incapable, as hard as he struggled to, to offer his best friend a simple smile. Hunk was looking at him empathetically, his soft brown eyes searching his face for any trace of distress.

A distress Lance tried to refrain, deep inside his heart. But they all had that weight to carry, it would only break the team apart if he tried to share it with them. 

To divert Hunk’s attention, he replied as lightly as he could:

“It’s fine…” Taking a sharp breath, he added: “We couldn’t have arrived earlier, and we fought the best we could…”

But in his mind, a perfidious voice kept screaming: “Liar! Liar! Liar!”

“Yeah…” Hunk murmured unhappily, but still looking slightly reassured by his friend’s words. 

Suddenly regretting to have so much influence over him, Lance cleared his throat and squirmed, uncomfortable, before quickly changing subject;

“So… Has Pidge been here all night?” he inquired, glancing at her.

Her head was resting on her knees, her face buried in her arms, arms that were folded around her legs which she kept close to her chest, and she was perfectly immobile. However, Lance was slightly surprised to hear her groan:

“I’m right here, you guys…”

Hunk chuckled, and even Lance felt the corner of his lips twitch into a small smile. Pidge laboriously raised her head and said with a groggy voice:

“I’ve worked all night long on that cloaking device, in the dark, which didn’t exactly help with efficiency. I’m tired,” she moaned, before letting out a long sigh.

“Tired now to win later!” Lance anxiously tried to sound enthusiastic, suppressing his own exhaustion. “Did it work?”

“Hmm?” Pidge blinked a few times, eyes glazed. “Oh, uh… I think so… Keith and Shiro took off anyways, so I guess I couldn’t have done better…”

“Oh…” Lance stammered, his heartbeat getting faster. “Of… Of course, yeah… So, uh… when did they leave? Did they tell you when they would come back?”

“Not that I remember…”

Lance nodded, swallowing his disappointment and dejection. He hadn’t noticed Pidge and Hunk share an impish glance.

The Garrison trio remained silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying as much as they could the sunrise, even if it meant to face grief and remorse sooner. The lands started to fill with noises, and Lance apprehended more and more the moment where Rene would announce her people that they needed to prepare for a war. To build defences for their planet, since they would not be defended by anyone. That the Voltron team would help them for now, but that they would then fly away and leave Olkarion to its fate.

It seemed like cowardice. And even though Lance knew they didn’t own much of a choice, he couldn’t stop shame from taking over his soul. 

He heard a barely noticeable sigh at his side, and then Pidge said:

“You know, it’s been such a long time we didn’t hang out just the three of us…”

“Yeah,” Hunk chuckled. “If only it wasn’t because of a planet risking to be destroyed without any scruples by old enemies of ours…”

Pidge scoffed quietly, and Lance couldn’t refrain a smile;

“I missed this,” he admitted, gesturing at his friends and himself. Then, with a hint of sadness, he let out: “I never appreciated the peace we had until now… Now that it’s gone… We need to end those Alteans quickly. Only then, we’ll be able to hang out without the pressure of an upcoming war…” Melancholy filled his heart, and he gloomily shook his head. 

It took him a few seconds, but then, he noticed his friends’ worried looks, and he realized with a burst of panic, how he must have sounded. He swallowed hard, searching within himself for a feeling other than despair to show off; right now, it was the last thing he wanted his friends to think of him. 

Thinking rapidly, he raised his eyebrows and added, with a forced cocky smile: “I won’t stand to come back to Earth without being acclaimed as a hero again…”

Hunk and Pidge snorted, and Lance let out a discreet huff of relief; he couldn’t let his feelings come in their mission’s way. 

“Ah, but you’ll have to put your pride aside and ask for their help first,” Pidge teased, finally straightening up and shuffling closer to Hunk and he.

“The sooner it’s done, the better!”

Hunk nudged him with a giggle. Then, he turned his head to the sky;

“How long has it been since we left?” As he saw his friends frown, he quickly added: “I mean, it hasn’t been that long, but it sure felt like it; lots of things can happen in short amounts of time…”

“You, my friend, are totally right!” Pidge spaced out a little, mumbling for herself, before she sighed; “It’s our third, maybe fourth day away from the Earth.” 

She nodded thoughtfully, before noticing Hunk and Lance raising an eyebrow, dubious;

“What?!” she yelled, on the defensive. “It’s true! We were one day on Altea; then we flew off in the night, spending an unsure amount of time in our Lions, half or full twenty four hours, but I don’t think it’s been more than that, and there was yesterday, fighting on Olkarion. See? Three days.”

“Yeah, only if your calculations are right,” Lance jested, causing Pidge to huff at him.

But the truth was, he was astonished: how could three days feel like a lifetime, literally crushing your bones with death getting closer as minutes passed? It was overwhelming, despairing, but he couldn’t fall now. Not again.

“It’s unbelievable!” Hunk choked out, stupefied. “The Lions of Voltron are back, a war has been declared, but it’s been so little time that our families probably think we’re still on vacation with our friends!”

“I wonder how everyone will react when they’ll realize we’re missing…” Pidge murmured. “First time, it didn’t draw much attention, but now, the five Paladins of Voltron, gone again, altogether? People won’t let it rest…”

They let the silence fill their imagination with images of their families and friends. The question was indirect, not even meant to be answered, or at least not physically, but it made doubts and unsure interrogations rise. Stifled feelings tainting their mission and adding on to the urge of coming back home. Emotions they didn’t want revealed, but that surely weighed down their decisions and fears. 

Lance tried to repress them; he wished for his shameful terror to give way to the fervent adrenaline of flights and fights he once owned, he wished for his pathetic dejection to burn out and for his old elation to rise up from its ashes. He knew he still held them deep, deep inside his soul, but even with his most desperate and most raging attempts, he couldn’t seem to reach far enough to get a grip of them. And nothing seemed distressing, nor infuriating, nor terrifying enough to create even the slightest spark that would light up a fire in his blood again.

“Maybe they won’t need to realize,” Hunk said hesitantly, after a few seconds of thoughts. “We could, by any chance, come back soon enough.”

Lance didn’t actually put his hopes so high, but he couldn’t show it off;

“Yeah, so then our presence will be the bearer of bad news, not our absence,” he snickered, stifling his uneasiness.

Pidge rolled her eyes;

“In that case, at least, we wouldn’t be the cause of a massive panic. More of a regulated agitation throughout the Garrison and every army base in the world within minutes following our arrival.”

They snickered as they imagined Iverson’s exasperation at them; “You again!?” he would yell, holding back a well placed slap as they would shrug. They voluntarily kept at bay the worry and resignation it would cause in their families, trying to ease the tension in the air. 

Lance stared at his friends’ expressions; the constant stress and responsibilities weighing on their shoulders had caused anxious wrinkles to appear, even at such a young age. Even he sometimes forgot that he wasn’t as old as he felt; he was only 25! He had been responsible of the fate of the universe at barely 17, just like Hunk, and Pidge had been even younger! And they had wrinkles… Wrinkles that hadn’t gone in the last six years of peace, and that now stood out because of the recent and painful events. Events that they, once again, had to deal with.

Here, now, Pidge and Hunk wore a carefree smile, at least on the face of it, and Lance wished for sunrises as simple as they made this one seem like. He wished that he could simply hang out with the Voltron team, flying through space and dealing with a few tensions that would only strengthen their friendship and the stories they would tell, living an adventure that wouldn’t involve the whole universe. That wouldn’t risk the existence of their reality.

“Seriously, I don’t know how we’ll avoid it,” Pidge said, letting out more exasperation in her tone than concern. “And even if we don’t come back in the next days, they’re going to send teams to get us and drag us back.”

Lance sighed;

“Only, we won’t be where they think we are, giving us enough time to pull something up and get round the embarrassment.”

His words had been meant as a casual joke. He had wanted to reassure his friends, to avoid thinking about the inevitable war and to minimize their real problems. But they lit up a far bigger concern.

As soon as he said it, Lance realized how it had been a mistake. How, as long as he hadn’t drawn attention to the issue, they could forget it, they could go on with their mission without more pressure. How they would now be driven by panic instead of determination.

He saw Hunk lose his smile, he saw his eyes widen with fear. He saw Pidge’s face turn pale, he saw her look fill with despair and culpability. He saw how hard they had tried to stifle their worries, only to see them take over their minds as soon as they were mentioned out loud.

“Oh god…” Lance murmured, horror filling his being. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t… If they send teams on Altea…”

Pidge blankly looked at him, not even able to complete his statement. Hunk, who was staring down on the ground, shuffled closer to them, as if their closeness could protect those who he held dear in his heart;

“Then, the alternate Alteans will corrupt our ships and send them back to their initial location: the Earth,” Hunk finished laboriously, shuddering, the threat of losing their home feeling a lot closer than ever.

 

The wind had stopped blowing a few minutes ago, now, and it seemed to be truly gone, taking with it the last source of freshness for Olkarion’s inhabitants. It wasn’t that the day was particularly hot, nor that the sun shone particularly brightly; in fact, thick grey clouds had started covering the sky shortly after midday, adding on to the dismal scene of destruction. But the work to be done was so exacting that all people needed to put their shoulder to the wheel, and if Olkaris didn’t sweat (at least, not the same way humans do), they still felt weariness creeping in every of their muscles.

Lance walked aimlessly around the place; everywhere, he could see Olkaris digging, building, or creating. On Earth, it would have made an awful lot of noises; machines squealing and grating, engines powering up and rumbling, materials being assembled together or crumbling down, orders being shout out… But here, all work was done in harmony with the planet: sure, with the help of one of the most advanced natural technology in the universe, things worked out easier, but even then, a silence full of respect for creations filled the air and actually increased the efficiency and beauty in what was built.

Lance had noticed, several times, the Olkaris place their hands on a piece of wood or on the part of an old wall and reach to the spirit of the material; sudden rays would light up from within, just as the veins of an older entity, and then, magically, it would come together into a weapon, a machine or into its previous form. It still required great strength, and the Olkaris took turns at their tasks to prevent their companions from falling from exhaustion. All of that, in silence.

Maybe it was a symbol of mourn. Maybe it was just the way things went on Olkarion. Lance realized he would never understand a planet and its people in depths, or at least, never as strongly as he felt it with the Earth. But the Earth… may or may not live the same destruction as Olkarion had done. And this perspective made Lance’s blood run cold.

All day long, he had drowned his worries in hard work, his guilt in defences, his sorrow in silence. He had ignored his exhaustion as long as he had could, since he knew that if he took a rest, his mind would be assaulted by frustrating questions and endless doubts, finding no rest at all. Physically engaged, he could stay into a bittersweet state of oblivion.

Rene had split up her people; half of them were creating the main defence all around the town, like a barricade resisting to the alternate Alteans’ energy; Pidge had proposed to scan the hoktril so they could pick up its emissions and create some kind of magnetic force that would, if put up as an energy field around a central point, recognize the alternate Alteans’ technologies and stop them from progressing any further in the city. The other half was cleaning up the last shreds of their realm and rebuilding their houses.

Pidge had been quite ecstatic about being introduced, once again, to the complicated technologies of Olkarion, and to be allowed to work their way. Since the moment Rene had made her announcement, Lance had only caught glimpses of her while she, with some kind of wood diadem on her head, helped to create the magnetic field, a concentrated expression on her face. He knew that, at last, she would be able to fall of tiredness this night. 

The Olkaris had used Hunk’s strength for manual tasks, such as digging foundations, physically constructing weapons and defences and bringing supplies into the central, which was the most solid and protected building that would allow, in urgent times, to hold hundreds of citizens and food for many months. In brief, all that was needed for an apprehended siege.

Lance had been used to accomplish many tasks, but at each of them, after a little while, he was told to go somewhere else. An hour or two at the most, that was the amount of time he could be useful. Of course, he would never complain about his sudden dismissal; he knew he didn’t own a particular talent that could provide any real help to the Olkaris, and without that, it probably just made it harder for them to bear being in the presence of a useless Paladin of Voltron.

In those times, he would walk around and join any scad who seemed to miss manpower, even if he was welcomed dryly. Or Rene would catch up with him, submitting a strategy for a his approval or simply seeking a little bit of company before going back to work. She would direct him to another section of the city where Olkaris could use his strength. 

That time, however, Rene was nowhere in sight, and every Olkaris were avoiding his look, meaning, in some indirect but still painful way, that they didn’t want his presence. Lance even found himself looking away as he passed them, and after a long moment, he finally headed away from all people, his heart feeling heavier than ever.

He walked around some deserted place, trying to distract himself from dark thoughts by taking large steps to avoid stepping on pieces of glass or metal. The street he had taken seemed to lead nowhere, and after a few minutes of seeing the same desolated landscape, he looked up at the sky, sighing.

Keith and Shiro still hadn’t come back. Despite his knowledge on both of their experience, Lance couldn’t refrain his nervousness, and his mind would often bring him back to perfidious concerns about their state. Did they reach Daibazaal safely? Had they needed to fight against mysterious forces along their way? Would the Galras understand the urgency of the situation, and would they find a way to help them? Were Keith and Shiro alright?

Feeling like he couldn’t bear stirring his thoughts in absolute loneliness anymore, Lance took a sharp breath and abruptly turned around, trying to shake off his anxieties. He decided to check on the Lions, see if Black had contacted them, or if they received a messages from Coran and Romelle. He would brood over anyway, so might as well make a good use of it. 

Carefully avoiding the crowded areas, he felt a wave of wisdom and serenity crash on his agitated thoughts as he got closer to the Lions. A gentle but insistent force tried to touch his mind, and Lance recognized Red’s signature in the act. He smiled slightly in relief and accelerated his pace; a new feeling of urgency, more discreet but no less important, had replaced the old one.

Stepping in Red’s shadow, Lance frowned as he put his hand on the metallic beast; he immediately noticed a vaguely different energy in his Lion’s vibrations, as if it was inhabited by another spirit. Suspicion arose in his mind and he took a few steps back, but the force became more pressing, almost begging. Lance was sure that the purr was Red’s, and only that fact, plus the vague feeling of curiosity, made him push away his reluctance and advance again.

This time, Red didn’t wait to bend over and open her jaw for Lance to step in the cockpit. Which he did, driven by both his own will and the mysterious force his Lion used on his mind to coax him to keep going forward.

Lance was aware of the risks of putting his entire trust into a machine; all technologies can easily be corrupted, even ones old of thousands of years, if the enemy had enough power and determination. And the alternate Alteans’ attitude had been quite weird, on their last battle; why had they just run away, when they clearly had the advantage? Was it part of a bigger, more perfidious plan to bring ruin upon the Voltron team? That question tainted his own courage with uneasiness.

However, the Lions of Voltron were more than just pieces of technologies: they had a soul, a spirit of their own, and wouldn’t accept the touch of a stranger if not accompanied by their paladin. And Lance had gone through a long and hard path with Red. He didn’t doubt her strength and values anymore.

He was still careful when he stepped in the cockpit, staying vigilant as he slowly made his way to his chair. He looked around one last time, without noticing anything unusual, before he sat down and put his hands on the commands, closing his eyes and letting his mind drift to the bigger entity. 

“What is it, Red?”

The vibrations under his feet and within his being intensified, and suddenly, he felt like he was thrown out of his chair and pushed towards the sky. He opened his eyes in panic, but there was only darkness all around him. His feet were resting on the same matter that surrounded him, an infinite emptiness that, now that he looked further into it, seemed really similar to a night sky. To space.

Taking short breaths to try to calm himself, Lance looked down, and he realized that the only source of light came from his own body. He swallowed hard, wondering if whatever brought him here would be able to hurt him, but slowly, the realization filled his mind: he was only a thought. His spirit could travel where his body was limited by the physical boundaries. The astral plane.

As soon as the thought came to his mind, he heard (or did his soul feel it?) a voice behind him;

“Paladin, I hoped I would reach you again.”

Deep, steady, comforting… Somehow, Lance had already heard that voice before. In a different place, in different times, but both in solemn and critical moments. 

Waves of memories struck him, and his eyes (or so he felt) widened. Slowly turning around, in total awe, he saw a bright and tall figure in front of him. The spirit of…

“King Alfor!?”

The spirit smiled; despite being only the ghost of someone that once was, he had kept the form of the deceased leader of Altea and previous Paladin of the Red Lion. Their first and last acquaintance had started in a reckless combat, in the obscurity of Honerva’s mind, and had ended in a teary, but serene farewell in the source of all realities. Lance had thought that all those who had… those who had left with Allura would forever remain in peace, to make up for their previous existence… Until now…

If the King Alfor, Allura’s father himself, had returned and wished to speak to him, could they all do? And most importantly, what could be serious enough to cause a soul to come back from… whatever was up there?

As if he had heard his thoughts (and maybe he did; after all, the astral plane follows no boundaries of physics), Alfor said softly:

“It is not often that souls of old get to come back to the world… Time does not pass the same way, if time exists at all, from where I come.”

Alfor was looking deep into his eyes, and had it been his physical body, Lance would have turned his head away. Even now, he had to fight to hold the King’s glare. 

“But… I thought you were part of the fabric of our reality…” Lance murmured, still in shock. “How could you…”

“How could I reach you?” Alfor seemed to ponder his words. Lance figured it was a habit from his time as a King and as a saviour, but it only made him realize how wise and noble the Paladin still was, even after his death. Lance gulped (or would have) and lowered his head in respect, but also to keep his composure with the weight of Alfor’s words falling on his shoulders: “When Allura made her choice to give her own life to save all realities, we naturally vowed to follow, and from our quintessence rose existence. But our spirits never ceased to exist; they were simply put at sleep.”

Lance’s heart missed a beat, and more guilt and hope filled his heart; could Allura…

Alfor continued, his tone serious and look solemn:

“I should not have been awoken. If I am here with you now, it is because I can’t advance further on the physical world, but nor can I go back to the state of pure dust and light; events have come troubling the fabric of reality, and thus, the remains of our quintessence…”

“The alternate Alteans!” Lance suddenly exclaimed. Seeing Alfor’s questioning look, he quickly explained: “They are Alteans, but from another reality. An alternate reality, where they were trying to expand their reign on every living being and cross over to our universe… to do the same!”

“It explains it, then,” Alfor let out in a long sigh. 

But at that moment, the light surrounding his form flickered, at the same time the world around them seemed to tremble. Lance nervously looked around and saw some stars burn out as darkness seemed to grow. His vision of the astral plane blurred, and he even caught glimpse of sensations from his physical body, shaking, all alone inside Red’s cockpit. 

Then, everything stabilized, but Lance suspected it wouldn’t hold long this way. Already, Alfor’s voice seemed to reach his mind from further away;

“We don’t have much time.” His tone was more urgent, now, but didn’t lose in assurance. “I am here because my spirit was linked with the Red Lion’s. She awoke me, and now that I know about your situation, I fear her request is the best choice for the universe; please, through me she begs you: find the Blue Lion. You need to find the Blue Lion to save your quest.”

“King Alfor?!”

All around them, the world faltered. Obscurity filled the void, and whispered wailing reached their ears. It made Lance’s blood run cold (or words to that effect) but Alfor only insisted, his expression hardened with determination; 

“You need to find the Blue Lion! Or your reality will collapse with theirs!” 

And, as Lance shouted a panicked “wait!”, Alfor’s ghost got closer and whispered, a pleading look in his eyes:

“Please… Protect my daughter from your universe…”

His voice died out, and Lance was brutally surrounded with darkness.


	6. Mystic Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me! Your support really means the world to me! 
> 
> I've got nothing else to say for this chapter; enjoy!

Weightless. Inconsistent. Free. Floating, swirling with the the wind. No lights to guide him, no lights to distract him. In fact, he felt that light would only tear apart this salutary lethargy, would only blind him from this new state, would only drag him down. Down to where? He wished to forget.

But the more he wished, the more he felt, the more his mind formed unwelcome and unpleasant thoughts, the more the chains of lucidity surrounded his consciousness and, perfidiously, tried to confine him into coarse flesh. In such a haze, he didn’t have the strength to resist. But he still tried.

Desperately. As when one knows they’re waking up, but still tries to stay within a peaceful dream. It was calm, up there. He didn’t need to worry, to concentrate, to fight. Down there, there was so much pain, so much war. He didn’t have a reason to come back down there.

He was just drifting away with the current.

Floating inconsistently, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, desire fighting against reason. He felt, from far away, an inquiring, curious, sad presence, trying to stretch to his own. It touched him, poked him, observed him, as if to figure out what was holding him up there. The answer was simple: nothing. His anchor, or more his chains, were down there. Up here, who knows what he could achieve.

If only he didn’t feel so, so far…

“What is happening, my Paladin?” A murmur, a breeze lightly blowing his ghost. It disturbed his pleasant oblivion, his relieving daze. “ I can’t reach you as I usually do…”

His consciousness suddenly fell, heavy of all his identity assaulting him, and his physical, disgraceful body felt the soft vibration within his heart. A wince came out of his throat, a raw, pitiful sound, only achieving to put his senses in pain. 

“There you go, small human.” The murmur spread through his whole being, infiltrated his whole mind. It hurted; his skin, his bones resisted to this force speaking to him. 

He tried to grasp the spirit, to get it to bring him away, to pass through the thick tissues forming boundaries and barriers to the thought, the pure form of the soul, but it gently pushed him away;

“No, you aren’t supposed to be like this,” it said as he dragged himself out, forced himself out, and started to feel flimsy again. He perceived an air of disapproval from it; “They need you, down there…”

Who needed him? He was like a leaf, blown away by the force of the wind, floating far from its tree. The tree had died, the roots had rotten; now what? He wasn’t grounded by anything…

“That is not the spirit I knew.” The force was disappointed. “You were always ready for action, always standing tall in front of threats, always laughing in danger’s face. I looked through your heart, and I have learnt, I have become more human. Where is my old Paladin? Where is the one always holding on to what’s the dearest to him, the one never forgetting what his home is?”

Earth. Altea. Olkarion. Daibazaal. His family. His friends. His team. His people. Who was he, to give up on them?

And not only them; their whole universe. The spectrum of all realities. 

“This is better,” the Red Lion purred satisfyingly. “The Blue Lion has chosen you well, and I did too.”

The Blue Lion. Allura… Alfor! The Blue Lion! He had to find her!

One last time, his consciousness protested against the brutal return into his body, but this time, Lance wouldn’t let it drift away. His panic mingled with his guilt, and his fear to have almost lost himself fought against the relief to feel pain and ache. Welcome back to the physical world!

His heart was beating in a way too rapid rhythm, as to remind him his own terror at what he had almost done, as to try to be heard by him as his life force had softly faded away. To call him back, to make him recall all that was still worth fighting for, all that was still good in life. And he regretted not to have realized it sooner.

Lance clumsily stretched his legs and arms (that were stiff and limp at the same time, maybe due to the absence of consciousness in his body for many minutes) and laboriously straightened up, trying to pierce through his confusion. He looked around, and if the room was still fogged in front of his eyes, he immediately made out the principal elements; breathing deeply, he recognized the Red Lion’s cockpit.

As he recovered from his fright and daze, torturous interrogations, doubts and responsibilities came back, overwhelming his mind, swirling into an abyss of endless darkness; Alfor’s words echoed into his being, begging him, on the Red Lion’s behalf, to find their old partner, and pleading him, on his own, to protect his daughter. But hadn’t he understood, that neither Allura or the Blue Lion were in this world anymore?

At the same time, the hope of finding back the Blue Lion, and within its consciousness, Allura, glittered in his heart. It was a fire he wanted so desperately to both smother and to light, as it could guide his quest as much as it could crush his entire being with despair. 

“Pull yourself together,” he scolded at himself, bitterness and determination hardening his heart.

Slowly, the mist of confusion still clouding his mind cleared, leaving place for more collected thoughts. Lance shook his head and concentrated, ignoring the treacherous distress trying to grasp his heart. Had he dreamt all of his conversation with the King? It could have been highly possible, due to the trauma of the last days, of sleepless nights and of previous nightmares. But he had little doubts; he was aware of the existence of the astral plane, and Voltron had already reached deep inside consciousness. He knew it possible. 

And it had felt so real…

The Red Lion confirmed his thoughts with a purr, encouraging, pressing.

Right, then. So if King Alfor had connected to him, it was because his soul, his quintessence, had been called back into the Red Lion. Did it mean that all the Paladins of Old had returned? And why hadn’t they manifested until now?

Alfor had said their spirits had only been put at sleep, until a chain of events came troubling the quintessence of reality, calling them back to the Lions. Had they flown the Lions to them? It was probable.

But if so, the Blue Lion should have followed. So maybe only Alfor had achieved to come back. But then, why had the other Lions come back, if not awoken too by their old bond? Or had they? 

It was impossible for Lance to make sense of all that, given the concept of death and quintessence mixed together. Maybe he had caught a glimpse of what was Up There, but he still didn’t understand it, nor did he know for sure where Alfor, or the Lions, came from. Rubbing his forehead as if it could help make his migraine disappear, he suddenly remembered some other concerning words;

What had Alfor meant, when he had spoken about disturbance in the rift of realities? Or about the realities crushing together? Was it even possible? Lance didn’t fully grasp the consequences of such event, but he figured it would cause irreparable damages to all universes, billions of lives crushed, and maybe even an irreversible destruction of reality. It was an eventuality that made his blood run cold. 

Shuddering, he preferred to push that theory aside and concentrate on another interrogation;

Why didn’t Red address him her request sooner? The fact that the Lions of Voltron had come back already spoke for itself concerning the importance of the situation, but, between two battles, there had been plenty of time where the Paladins had only withdrawn in gloomy thoughts, without being confronted about the truth of their mission. 

His Lion was quite a complicated spirit, and Lance wasn’t sure he would ever come to fully understand it. It wasn’t human, after all.

However, he remembered how urging her signal had become when she had reached to him. Maybe she hadn’t realized Alfor’s presence until then. Lance hadn’t sensed another spirit than hers until an hour ago either; maybe she had been awoken by him, after all, but only grasped the threat when she had fully experienced it.

Lance didn’t know if he felt reassured by that, but as the subject required no longer thoughts, he let it go. At least, until he would reunite with his team.

Which brought, again, another mystery: why was their fight against the alternate Alteans doomed without the Blue Lion? And where was the Blue Lion now? Sure, things would be hard without Voltron, but until now, they had managed… with the help of innocent citizens, causing irreparable loss and damage. 

Once more, a wave of guilt crushed him, and he preferred to push it deep within his being. He didn’t need that now. 

However, the next thought pinched his heart as much as it lit a hope in his being:

If Alfor had been brought back, could Allura be too?

Had Alfor really implied that his daughter could be saved, or had Lance gotten his own conclusions out of words he had misinterpreted?

The floor of his Lion shook violently, bringing him back to reality. Lance jumped, startled, vehemently turning his head left and right to find the source of the vibrations. Red stayed silent, and he felt no agitation through her. Trying to calm himself, he breathed deeply and closed his eyes, reaching to the bigger spirit; Red shared with him a feeling of peace, of greeting, and Lance heard, through his mind, a powerful roar. It was a roar of authority, of pride, and it mirrored a loud rumble that echoed from outside at the same time. 

Excitement and relief flooded his being, and Lance promptly jumped off his seat, rushing out of the cockpit with a last glimpse of sly encouragement flashing through his mind.

Outside, the Olkaris had momentarily stopped working to stare at the Black Lion as it landed, impressed, intimidated. However, some of them were whispering into each other’s ear, wearing an expression darkened by a mix of grudge and weariness. The ground trembled as the Black Lion bent over and opened its jaw, making many Olkaris take urging steps backwards. 

Lance, who had stayed still, observing the crowd, ran forward when he saw a messy haired man stepping out of Black’s mouth, followed by their tall commander and three foreign ladies, all wearing practical but pretty graceful armours. He didn’t slow his impetus down when he met the Olkaris rushing back, and only stopped at Pidge and Hunk’s level, who must have arrived to hear from their leader. They smiled tiredly at him, before turning back to greet Keith and Shiro.

Slightly panting, Lance’s hand unconsciously went through his hair, before falling to his side and nervously fidgeting with his shirt. The day had been rough, both in physical and psychological terms, and he had sweated a lot. Due to his exhaustion, he must not be looking so fresh, and for a ridiculous second, stress rose within him at the thought, until he caught himself backing off to hide behind his friends. He frowned, finding his attitude quite absurd; Keith wouldn’t be concerned about his appearance in war times!

Again, Lance froze, stupefied; who was messing up with his mind!? It wasn’t so hard to figure out, but as Pidge and Hunk took quick glances at him, he shook his head and regained a semblance of composure, lingering no longer on his… weird thoughts. He stared in the distance, and jumped slightly when Keith waved at them, looking just as tired. Pidge rolled his eyes at his jitteriness, and she made her way towards their leader. Hunk and Lance promptly followed, Hunk raising an eyebrow at Lance’s fluster. Decidedly, his weakness was way more obvious than his urgency and his near death experience…

Keith, joined by Shiro and his Galran squad, turned to the Olkaris and announced:

“The sky is clear, for now. We haven’t met any foreign ship on our way to Daibazaal, and we have informed them of your situation; they’re waiting for our go to send help, and they have sworn for secrecy towards your position and existence. However, if you prefer to stay out of this, we can still arrange resources shipments, and…”

“We can all agree that it is now too late to keep our discretion as we have done in the last six years.” Rene walked her way through the crowd and, standing tall, features drawn and wearing a sad smile, she went on: “We are thankful that you spoke in our favour, and, as we gracefully accept help, we will also do everything in our power to pay back all services Voltron and their allies has given us.”

Keith nodded, pensive. Lance observed him from the corner of his eyes; he feared they didn’t have as much time to stay as the Black Paladin seemed to think, and he started shifting from one foot to the other. His urgency to speak with his leader grew, and stress constantly flooded within his being, making him restless, edgy. However, there was still a part of his mind admiring Keith’s regard even for people who didn’t entirely trust them.

The Olkaris started to disperse, murmuring together, and the Garrison trio gathered around the newcomers. Shiro and Keith greeted them with a weary smile, while Keith’s crew, Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor, watched them approach curiously. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe his senses were still altered from having spent too much time in the astral plane, but Lance could have sworn the red woman, Ezor, had pointed at him while whispering into her partner’s ear.

Rene joined the group, wearing her most assured expression despite the obvious resignation they could see into her eyes. She managed a warm smile for the Galran squad;

“Thank you very much to join the Paladins in their mission here. It is very reassuring for us to count such fierce warriors into our ranks.”

“The pleasure is ours, great leader of the Olkaris,” Axca replied gracefully, hesitating only a little for Rene’s title before adding: “though it’s been many years we haven’t taken much joy in spilling our enemies’ blood, despite the myths concerning our race…”

Lance turned his head towards her, not so sure how he should feel at her words; he noticed Ezor’s small pout as she watched Axca speak, and he wondered how the Galras must have felt when they had given up on thousand of years worth of fighting traditions. 

“Yeah, but it’s going to be good finally coming back on battlefields,” Zethrid exclaimed with a wild grin, nudging at Axca and Ezor. 

Axca smiled a bit, but didn’t bother to turn around while Keith looked at Zethrid with a mixture of shock and disapproval. Ezor replied with a giggle, and she met Lance’s glare; raising an eyebrow, she held his eyes an instant, face completely emotionless, but then, she winked, her lips stretching into a sly smirk. Lance gulped and quickly looked away, under her renewed giggles.

Rene seemed surprised, but she quickly regained her composure;

“Well, I am still glad that you’ve come,” she said uneasily. Then, turning to Keith and Shiro, she inquired: “What was Daibazaal’s answer at your request?”

“Will we be able to go back to Earth?” Hunk chimed in, anxious.

Keith stared at both of them with tired eyes;

“For now, it’s impossible,” he let out reluctantly after having pondered his words. “But I have informed my mother and Kolivan of the urgency of the situation; they do own ships able to travel through wormhole, but considering their compromising position vis-à-vis Altea, the Galran council voted to reduce the number of jumps to the strict necessary. This doesn’t mean,” he added quickly at their desperation, “that they didn’t accept to help us. Krolia is ready to give us all the resources they own for our quest, but it’s not only her decision. They immediately started to prepare for eventual battles, training soldiers and scanning every citizens to be sure alternate Alteans haven’t already infiltrated their people, and they will send the less ships possible out in space, not to alert our enemies. But they have sworn to bring help to the remaining Alteans, and they will send scout teams and other shipments…”

“This way, at least, we know they’ll act faster than we could if there was an immediate threat endangering Coran and Romelle,” Shiro said gently. 

The Paladins nodded, a little weight off their heart, but still apprehending the rest of their report;

“They have accepted to wormhole us in a week,” Keith continued. “Meaning we’ll stay a while longer on Olkarion, if Rene…”

“Our planet will host you as long as you need, Paladins of Voltron, and it will welcome as many members of the Coalition as there will be,” Rene affirmed, answering Keith’s interrogative glance. 

“Good, then.” He breathed deeply, as if part of his worries were reassured by the Olkari’s words. Then, he raised his head and gestured at the Galran women behind him; “In the last years, my crew and I have helped many planets to recover from the war, and we will do the same with you.”

“We really appreciate your offer, Red Paladin,” Rene said, bowing her head, “but my people can stand back rapidly after a time of grief. To establish the start of our defences is enough for us to go on independently, and even take part of the battle.”

Lance didn’t process what she had proposed, and to be true, he had forgotten everything about Alfor’s warning too; the proximity between Keith and Acxa, ever since Keith’s gesture towards her, bothered him, and he had to refrain himself from sending threatening glances at them every instant. 

Pidge chimed in;

“I mean, for now, you should be preoccupying to gather all your strength before going in for war,” she risked, concerned. “You endured too much damage because of us…”

“And we will go on, until the whole universe can benefit the same peace we have enjoyed for many years before the first war, a peace that we have found back thanks to Voltron,” Rene asserted, smiling softly at Pidge.

Lance, who had glanced again at Keith, was surprised to catch him stare back; the dark rings under the Red Paladin’s eyes, first sign of his inner lassitude, didn’t erase the clearness of their deep violet. Lance froze for a second, fascinated, his heart jumping like crazy in his chest. They held each other’s look, sharing a moment of intimacy, a moment where their hope and worries, where their joys and fears flooded between them, through them. Lance didn’t hear the conversation between Rene and Pidge, he didn’t hear the snickers coming from the Galran women, too engrossed in Keith’s eyes. Keith slightly turned his head to the side, raising his eyebrows, as if he had noticed his agitation, as if he sincerely inquired how he could soothe it. Lance felt the blood rush to his face, but he managed not to turn his head away; was it the sun, or had he seen a faint blush rise to Keith’s cheeks?

“Let’s just hope everything works out,” Shiro let out in a sigh, making Keith jump slightly and breaking the contact between him and Lance. “Let’s hope the alternate Alteans won’t come back while we’re not prepared.”

Lance felt all his worries close up on him, a cloud of darkness trying to choke any rest of courage from his heart. He took a sharp breath, dreading the interrogations that would assault him;

“We can’t stay here while we wait,” he blurted out. 

All heads turned to him. He felt the little determination left in his being falter, and was suddenly very uncomfortable about going on; his tale would seem so foolish!

However, his eyes met Keith’s for a split second; there was something in them, a spark, a light, that reassured him, that warmed his heart and encouraged him to trust. He swallowed hard, before declaring;

“We have to find the Blue Lion.” 

His words had the same effect as a bomb alert; the whole group froze brutally, alarmed, startled, before the questions started bursting out;

“What do you mean?!”

“What happened?”

“The Blue Lion? Where is it?”

“Why?”

“Why now?”

“Alright, team, enough!” Keith chimed in, frowning. “What do you mean, Lance?”

His tone wasn’t sharp, nor impatient, simply inquiring. It gave Lance a bit of resolution back, and he nodded a thank you before clearing his throat;

“The… the Red Lion called me, and, uh…” he stammered, averting his friends’ glare. “And, well… Alfor’s consciousness was in it.”

If the bomb hadn’t exploded earlier, it did now: the Galran crew, not fully grasping the meaning behind his words, must take him for a fool and started commenting between themselves. Rene had the politeness not to say anything out loud, but it was obvious she considered him crazy. However, the Paladins, who had seen enough of the mystery of consciousnesses to believe his words, gaped at him for a second, before gasping, shrieking or jumping on him and attacking him with too many questions at the same time. A bit overwhelmed, Lance tried to give them a report as true to reality as he could. He was constantly interrupted by interrogations he couldn’t answer, and his tale took longer to share since he needed to give explanations to the leader of Olkarion and to the three Galran women. But at the end, they were stuck on the same questions;

“If the Paladins of Old have come back, maybe they’ll help us get to the Blue Lion,” Pidge said excitedly.

Lance regretted having to bring down Pidge’s hopes:

“I don’t know,” he let out reluctantly. “To reach me, Alfor had to drag me in the astral plane, and it was like it wasn’t stable, up there; I felt like the world of death tried to surround us, and the void seemed to collapse. If he hadn’t sent me back to my body, well, maybe my spirit would have been stuck up there.”

Lance had kept quiet about the fact that he had almost died; his team didn’t need that.

“It’s odd, I don’t remember this from my time in the astral plane,” Shiro said thoughtfully.

“But didn’t Alfor tell you that realities were crushing together?” Hunk asked hesitantly. “Well, maybe it’s affecting the astral plane too.”

“It would make sense,” Pidge explained. “The astral plane isn’t technically a world touched by physical boundaries; every consciousness has its own, and yet, it is common of all spirits. It’s like a waiting room for the dead, or lost souls. It would be logical that it’s the first world affected by the drifts in our reality.”

“Only in our reality, or in all realities?”

Silence settled between them for a moment; until now, they all had thought that the alternate Alteans had been holding on to a quest of revenge. Controlling their universe, to punish Voltron for having disturbed their plans earlier. But they seemed to have a bigger purpose than the team had imagined. What if they wanted to control all realities?

The thought made them shudder. Lance bit his lower lip, anxious for the future, but still relieved that he could count on his friends; not once they had doubted his words.

“Well, we can’t worry about that right now,” Keith let out after a few seconds of reflection. “We have to figure out a way to make up for their advance on us and to take the advantage. And it seems that we would need the Blue Lion for that. Lance? Has Alfor given you any indication on where it might be?”

Lance looked at him, but no right answer came lighting his mind. He took a deep breath and shook his head, ashamed that he couldn’t bring more than new problems to their battles.

Keith shrugged, emotionless, comprehensive, before turning to the others;

“Does any of you have a way to reach the Blue Lion?”

“We could pick up its signal, just like the first time we found it,” Shiro suggested, recalling the situation in which they all were brought together.

It was a funnily nostalgic memory, and Lance rolled his eyes at how young and naive they were at the time.

“It would be very hard,” Pidge retorted. “We would need extremely long-range emissions to reach all the way to the depths of the universe, and building technologies as such…”

“It would not be too hard for us,” Rene reassured.

Pidge smiled sorrily at her;

“Even then, I fear it would be quite easy for enemies to isolate our signal and use it against you, or to lure us into a trap. No, there must be another way.”

She was categorical, and they lowered their head, pondering the new problem. 

Lance was afraid that his team wouldn’t value the mission for as much as it was worth, and would simply shrug it off. He hadn’t only held back his near death experience, but also his hope to find Allura’s spirit into her Lion’s consciousness. It wasn’t only because his theory was improbable; Lance felt like this secret was part of his responsibility, part of his issues, part of the reasons he had sunk. Part of his new, failed self. It wasn’t a hope he wanted to share; his friends didn’t need a desperate, helpless paladin on their team. 

However, if Allura was stuck somewhere in space, totally at the Blue Lion’s mercy, he would look through the whole universe to get her out. Alfor had sounded so despaired, so real, when he had spoken about his daughter’s safety…

Lance was reluctant to talk about this foolish spark of hope, but if it came to the point he’d have no choice, he would. He would, as he would do anything in his power to bring back a member of his family.

“How had Allura known where the Lions were in the first place?” he muttered, more for himself than anything.

It actually rose fervent theories, leading them closer to solving their case;

“She had the use of the Castle of Lions,” Keith reminded them. 

“Well, she was still the one fuelling her research with her quintessence,” Pidge argued, biting her lower lip as if it would help her find ideas.

Shiro intervened:

“We don’t have the Castle of Lions with us, and neither is Allura here…” He paused an instant, very careful with his words; “We cannot contact Coran for more information, so I fear this may be a dead end…”

A gloomy silence followed his talk, a heavy, thick silence only reminding them how futile their attempts were. But then, a hesitant voice rose from the group:

“Maybe we’re looking too far into the problem.”

Everyone turned to Hunk, questioning. The Yellow Paladin was wringing his hands, nervous;

“I mean, each of us were able to reach our Lions, even though they were far away. And I’m aware that Blue is probably… a lot further than every distance we’ve come across before. But… this is a Lion of Voltron, and they have always heard their Paladins’ call! Maybe it would be possible to… contact Blue’s consciousness, and, if not call her here, at least know where she is!”

“But… Allura was the Blue Paladin…” Pidge said softly. “And she isn’t here, Hunk…”

Lance raised his head slightly, and he caught Hunk’s inquiring glare. He frowned an instant, before the realization struck him, and he shook his head in panic, eyes going wide. 

But Hunk only nodded encouragingly and dropped the final part of his idea:

“Yeah… But who was the Blue Paladin before her?”

It took a moment for everyone to get to his point, but when they finally did, all heads turned to Lance, who was already backing off a few steps;

“No no no no no no, I can’t do it, I’m not the Blue Paladin anymore, I’ll…”

“Lance, whatever you may think, you won’t be failing us.” Lance gulped at the intervention, an intervention that told the exact same words he had borne for too long; Keith advanced towards him a little, causing the Galran women to share knowing glances. But Lance didn’t pay them any attention; his mind was too full of his fear, of his panic, and too concentrated on Keith’s grounding aura; the Red Paladin went on, the world around them growing completely quiet: “This is a long shot, and if it doesn’t work, it won’t be your fault. Even as Voltron, the Lions didn’t always interpreted our demands the way we thought them!”

Lance lowered his head.

“Besides, there is way too many factors to count to have even a small probability to achieve,” Pidge told him in a sympathetic tone, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Distance, energy, atmosphere… We don’t even know for sure that the Blue Lion is, well… still in one piece…”

“This is our best chance, Lance,” Keith added on, stopping his progression right in front of him. There was something in his voice, a hidden inquiry, a fondness, that made Lance’s breath catch in his throat. His eyes plunging in Keith’s, he hung on to the words as a tree would hang on to its leaves, afraid that they might fly away, afraid that they might fall with every piece of beauty that represented its being; “And you, above everyone else, has the ability to grow bonds strong and deep enough to resist through time… and distance…” Keith’s lips twitched, as if he held back a soft grin. “We don’t fully know how the spirit of our Lions are working, but if they can recognize their previous Paladins’ energy, Blue will remember you.”

Lance smiled slightly, but he was still troubled, distressed within. Did Keith really mean his words, or did he tell them just to get this over with, to get Lance to believe in a task he himself doubted? So Lance wouldn’t notice their disappointment?

All of his insecurities faded away with one single glance into Keith’s eyes. Empathy and honesty sparkled in them, in a light that inspired trust, a comforting haven of peace and confidence. Slowly, Lance nodded, and a smile dawned on Keith’s lips. A ray of sun, warming Lance’s whole being. 

Keith’s eyes lingered a second longer on his face, before he cleared his throat and advanced in the middle of the group;

“It’s useless to leave now, as we’re all exhausted. But there is no time to lose; if the Blue Lion is, indeed, necessary for our mission, and I don’t think of a reason why Alfor’s spirit wouldn’t say the truth, then we have to find it before anyone else can.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be the problem here,” Shiro claimed bitterly. “I’m afraid our main concern will not be that too many people have seen it, but too few…”

“If it’s still out there,” Pidge added.

“Woah, one concern at the time,” Hunk chimed in, raising his hands into an appeasing gesture. “I say we all go to sleep, and come back with this tomorrow.”

“And leave, tomorrow,” Keith corrected, expression hardened by determination. The Voltron team, the Galran crew and Rene stared at him, their worries slowly replaced by the confidence he emitted. A wave of courage filled Lance’s heart at the powerful view of three different races all looking up to one common purpose, of the strength a union can give to each parties. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but standing still is even worse; it builds limits that only our subconscious imagines…”

 

The soft light of the stars somehow felt heavier than the fierce rays of the sun. Holding more mystery, more darkness, more danger. An unsettling, troubling aura, removing barely enough shadow to perceive threat, but hiding away the tools to fight it off. The sun blinded from the truth, but the stars revealed only the pain of it, the weight of what was to come, instead of lighting it one step at a time, slowly, but softly.

Or so it was how that night felt. Heavy. Mysterious. Dark. Dangerous. Disquieting.

Lance had always loved the night. He gave it his secrets, his stories. It looked eternal, infinite, and the stars proved him that any sun can guide a heart, even so far away. That anyone can shine so brightly and add beauty to another’s sky, even if they’re gone, even if only their spirit remains.

But now, the night didn’t hold the same air; its freshness became coldness, its calm became apprehension, its softness became stifling. The dream became nightmare. 

Lance plunged his eyes into the abyss of space over his head; he wondered if, somewhere between the stars, the Blue Lion, and within her, Allura, were waiting for him. If the stars would receive his plead and guide it to them. 

The majority of the Olkaris were asleep in the main building, or into houses still standing. However, Lance could sometimes notice a figure advancing on a slow pace, or hear whispers that ended in soft cries into the night. The rest of his team were resting too, but that they slept or only brooded over the same distress, he couldn’t know for sure. He was only grateful to be alone with his thoughts.

Lance took a deep breath and closed his eyes, relaxing his shoulders, letting go his worries, pushing away his constant stress, releasing his mind. He attempted to find again the void in his consciousness, to reach another being. Slowly, his negative emotions, his guilt, shame, sadness, fear, anger, all faded away, bits by bits, until he was left alone with his soul, into an infinite calm. He couldn’t say he was serene, but unlike earlier, when he had been brought back from a fog, a daze, he now found a source of limitless lucidity, of potential. He listened to his heart beat rhythmically, he felt his breath fill his lungs and blow away intrusive thoughts from his mind. He was alone with himself.

Completely in control of his being, Lance extended his consciousness to reach all that surrounded him. He felt the sand under his feet. He felt the trees around the town. He felt the Lions, not so far away, that emitted a vaguely curious aura about this new existence they could perceive in the air. He felt the air, the night itself. It felt ethereal, endless.

Lance let the wonder of this magic fill his spirit, strengthen it, and held this position a moment longer. Simply surrounding himself with life, with energy, with peace. But then, he knew he couldn’t linger on it too long; he had a mission to do.

His consciousness, that had, until now, spread out all over the atmosphere, gathered together. Instead of being large and flowing, it became long and sharp, active instead of passive. He had a purpose, and he intended to reach it.

Lance directed his energy to a precise idea, a precise image; he searched for it, now unstoppable by physical borders, just like the way he would look for a memory or a dream in his own head. He knew the trace it left, he knew its signature, even if he had forgotten its content. It was the same thing, now; the only difference was that he wasn’t only plunging into his mind. He was sounding out the whole universe.

It was exhilarating, but he didn’t have much time; the sun would rise, and his team would come out. They would ask for him to reach the Blue Lion, pressing, urging, and he would never be as powerful, as productive as now. He was trying, almost desperately, to find exactly what had been missing to them, but without this form, this pure form of consciousness, it would be almost impossible. He needed to concentrate.

His consciousness wasn’t blocked by any barriers, but there was still a time of purposeless wandering. No, not purposeless; he pointed all of his energy to the image, to the memory of the Blue Lion, but the universe was vast, and Lance still hesitated, still doubted. And that weighted, slowed down his progress. 

But all of the sudden, his spirit collided against an ardent, keen source of energy, so powerful it almost crushed him with (put in physical images) what would be harsh, sharp claws. For a moment, Lance was choking under the roaring mass of power, surrounded on every direction by its almighty presence, and the terror of being wrested from his life took hold of his heart, threatening to grasp every remaining of lucidity he still had. 

But then, just as rapidly as it came, the violence of the force faded away, drawing back into joy and excitement. Instead of growling, it purred. Instead of attacking, it jumped around, full of life. Its power had been awoken, at last, by an old bond, a bond holding more strength than all those who had forced it into sleep for as long as they would need to control its spirit. It would never bow!

Lance gasped, feeling like he was violently thrown back into his body. He opened his eyes, trying to even his breathing, but the view around him hadn’t changed much. Except that now, dawn dispelled the last stars. 

Heart rate slowing down, he turned his head to the sky, worried, but feeling a calm determination replace his fright. Hope flooded his mind as he looked up to a particularly stubborn star. He murmured:

“I’m going to find you, and I’ll bring you home…”

 

The goodbyes didn’t take too long; most of the Olkaris stared from afar, but some of them came closer to thank them. Lance didn’t feel like he deserved gratefulness, but he forced a smile and nodded at their intention. 

Shiro handled it like his leadership duty forced him to; he was used to political farewells, to pacts and alliances, but the Olkarion people had a deeper significance for their team, and despite wearing a confident and calm expression, they could all guess he hid away dejection for not being able to do more for them.

Pidge held back her tears as Rene came closer to her. The leader of Olkarion watched her fondly, sorry that the Green Paladin couldn’t stay longer and learn to live by them. Just as Ryner, Rene had recognized Pidge’s great potential and deep connection with the world around them, and her passion impressed the Olkaris. She would miss her.

Hunk was glum; he valued friendship and union more than anything else, and his sweet character had made him develop bonds with pretty much every Olkaris he had worked with. And leaving Olkarion behind, even though they weren’t as unprepared as before, left bitter thoughts in his mind. But he knew it was the best thing to do, and his last smile was teary, but determined.

Keith kept his head high; he couldn’t let innocent people doubt in his resolution. He had to keep a strong composure, for their allies to remember that their courage was more powerful than their enemies’ hatred, that their universe wouldn’t fall again. One false move, and all of their efforts would be useless. He couldn’t let them see the leader of this revolution resigned to a fate that hadn’t come yet. Or it would instil fear into their mind.

But there was already fear tainting the air; Lance noticed it as he saw, heart torn apart, two little kids nestled up against one another, staring at him, eyes wide, tears falling down their cheeks as they turned their head away.

Afraid of them or afraid that they left, he could never be sure. 

Rene walked up to every single one of them, murmuring soft words, giving advices and encouragement. She even stopped in front of Axca, Zethrid and Ezor and thanked them to have come to help with her city’s recovery. 

When she arrived at his level, Lance didn’t expect her to say anything intimate. He hadn’t talked much with her, and he hadn’t done anything that would have made him stand out at her eyes. However, she putted her hands on his shoulders and looked at him with a meaningful glare; she told him, quietly, for no one else to hear:

“Turn your back on all that distress; it is worth nothing to hold on to a weight for too long. Your courage is truly admiring, and you should find pride in the way you fly to save lives. So do not ignore loving hands anymore. You deserve them.”

Her eyes, the blue intertwined with the green, shone with gratefulness and a fondness that Lance did not fully grasp. He slightly raised his eyebrows and turned his head to the side, inquiring about the meaning of her words. Rene simply nodded and, after pressing his shoulder in a reassuring gesture, walked to Hunk besides him. Lance blinked a few times, surprised, and maybe a bit afraid. Afraid that someone he barely knew could see the things, the emotions he desperately wanted to push away.

It took a few more minutes until they definitely took off. The Galran squad had grouched at Keith because he wouldn’t let them fly their own ship, but the team had agreed that it was for the best, since they hoped being discreet. Four gigantic Lions already drew too much attention, and it would be a shame to lose what little advance Voltron had with their new allies. If the alternate Alteans spotted them, they couldn’t guess the Galras had entered the battle.

Shiro was in the Green Lion, this time, and Keith transported his crew with him inside Black. They still waited to hear from Coran and Romelle, but no Lions picked any signal coming from Altea, meaning their friends were still in hiding. Or maybe they were already enslaved, Lance thought. His blood ran cold at this probability.

As soon as he placed his hands on the controls, however, a faint bliss and soft excitement rushed into his system with the perspective to be part of a space mission again. A part of his tension released as he fell back into a time where they all believed in absurd chances to win, to achieve their purpose. Maybe his memories influenced him, but for a moment, he let his forlorn hopes flood his heart and strengthen his determination to fight for goodness.

The first moments of their flight weren’t as gloomy as two nights ago; their stay on Olkarion had inspired them, and even if they still had to catch on a lot of time lacking of a Paladin’s training, they had pretty much fallen back into old habits. To pass the time, Pidge started a debate about how the alternate Alteans could cross realities so easily;

“When we met them, years ago, they needed the meteor made of the same material as Voltron. I guess they developed their technologies since then,” Keith said, tone weary.

“Except if they found another meteor,” Hunk sighed.

“No, that’s not it!” Pidge let out vehemently. Lance smirked; he heard her huff loudly, easily imagining her frustrated frown. “If they had, we would have seen them enter a huge machine and fly off with it! It must be thanks to a piece of tech opening some kind of wormholes through realities. 

“But how is that possible?” Keith protested. 

Pidge retorted immediately; 

“It would be fairly easy, with their advanced technologies, to create a machine that could cause riddles in the reality’s tissue; it would have to interfere with the quintessence at a molecular level and create micro, but extremely powerful vibrations within a restricted area, mixing the notion of the void in the matter and quintessence to tunnel through…” 

“Like some kind of quantum tunnelling?” Hunk asked with a hint of thoughtfulness in his voice. “But it can only work with particles of an atomic size…”

“You may be onto something, Hunk!” The rest of the team heard Pidge’s excited murmurs as she rapidly went through equations and probabilities. Lance wondered if the others felt as lost as he was. 

Speaking of, Keith’s voice rose through the intercom;

“Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what you’re talking about?”

The Galran squad, Lance and Shiro all mumbled incoherently.

Hunk intervened;

“Well, quantum tunnelling is a phenomenon touching only quantum particles, or atoms and smaller, if you prefer. Take a roller coaster, for example; if there isn’t enough speed in the engine, it can’t reach the top again. If this was quantum, the rails would be, in our case, some electric waves forming a barrier of energy to the atom; the roller coaster car, the electron, would be brought forward in its momentum and go through the rails instead of simply falling the other way…”

“Wow, you really don’t want to be in a quantum attraction.”

“Thank you for your intervention, Lance,” Hunk said, but a joyful surprise pierced in his tone as faint snickers echoed in the intercom; it had been a long time since Lance had lighten up a subject. “The point is, if an electron hits an energy barrier and doesn’t have enough energy to go over it, it would go through it. But it is extremely improbable that the alternate Alteans would use this concept, since their body needs billions of atoms to tunnel through exactly the right way. It’s too uncertain to know wether or not the atoms would reassemble the same after the object would have gone through matter.”

“There also is the concept of quintessence, which we don’t fully understand,” Shiro mentioned, tone more resigned than dejected. But Lance suspected that quintessence wasn’t the only concept that Shiro didn’t grasp.

“Quintessence is energy!” Pidge finally exclaimed. She was back in the game, and she went on, after making sure everyone listened to her; “In our case, quintessence would be the energy barrier Hunk has mentioned earlier. He also warned us about the dangers of tunnelling ourselves, since we would never know how our atoms would decide to come altogether on the other side. But what is only a theory for us is a way for them; if they imagined a way to stabilize the structure of atoms and create electric waves that would make an obstacle for quantum particles appear, they could direct their “tunnel” to a specific place into another reality!”

“There is a lot of “ifs” into your equation, Pidge,” Keith told her, but Lance saw, by his tone, that the theory had made its way to his mind. Lance himself actually pondered it; could it be possible?

Olkarion appeared now as a little dot in the void. The team wasn’t rushing forward, since they didn’t actually know where they were headed. As soon as they had gathered together, Lance had told them, containing his urgency and his panic, about how he had felt the Blue Lion. His friends were all partly relieved to know that, at least, their mission was worth the try. That they weren’t doomed to find only pieces of what had once been a prideful and noble Lion of Voltron. But Lance hadn’t had the occasion to reconnect with Blue; when he had touched her spirit, he had felt that something wasn’t quite right, just like he had sensed with Red. It was unsettling, troubling, but he had kept quiet about that too; he had an inkling that, if the Lion itself didn’t represent a threat, maybe it had been used to lure him. 

Lance hoped he was wrong; the Blue Lion wasn’t the only spirit he wanted to save.

After a few seconds of thought, Pidge, suddenly sounding inspired by some intuition, started saying:

“What if the alternate Alteans tunnelling was linked to…”

At that moment, there was a technological noise coming from the Black Lion, and Keith let out a startled yelp;

“Krolia, what’s…”

“There is no time!”

A voice blasted in all of their Lions; Krolia’s tone was harsh, urging. Lance figured that Keith’s mother had contacted the Black Lion, and even though she spoke to her son, she went on to be heard by the whole team;

“Keith, listen to me; those Alteans have followed you. Daibazaal was hit by numerous assaults as soon as you left with your crew…”

“Those cowards!” Zethrid yelled indignantly.

Keith cut her; 

“Are you alright!?” He was shocked, outraged. “Do you need us to come back!?”

The Black Lion made as if to rush to Daibazaal, but at that moment, a loud thud echoed through the intercom. The team heard grunts and yelps from Black, and a cacophony of yells answered them;

“What happened!?”

“Keith, do you copy?”

“Keith! Keith, come in!”

The last call was from Lance; Lance, who had felt terror squeeze his heart and run his blood cold. Lance, who had been violently struck by the terrible realization that no one, especially their families, were safely hidden in their universe. Lance, who had heard the distress break Keith’s voice at the fear that his mother, his only family left, may be in danger.

“Everything’s fine,” Keith finally replied, gritting his teeth. 

But the Black Lion took another hit. The Paladins moved their Lions closer, back-to-back, and frantically looked around to find the source of the blows.

It wasn’t before their attackers fired at them that they could make out their position; to their despair, they recognized the alternate Alteans’ ships. 

“How could they find us!?” Hunk shouted, defeated.

“They knew everything about your movements!” Krolia screamed, herself trying to cover the sounds of battle on her side. “Don’t worry about Daibazaal, Keith; we were better prepared, and our race has war running in our blood. We’ll get through. Realities need Voltron!”

The sound flickered, and the connection cut. Keith refrained a wince, but they had other worries to deal with right now;

“So what do we do now?” Hunk inquired on an urging tone. “How…”

“It’s a war tactic; leave trackers behind, or place sentries just out of sight,” Shiro explained, his sentence ending in a grunt as the Green Lion was hit. 

Being the smallest Lion, Green couldn’t take much blows; Pidge promptly replied to the assault by firing back at the ships, yelling:

“They must have placed some sort of scanners or something in Olkarion’s atmosphere to detect our move about; they’re trying to bring down all our allies on any planet we’ve gone!”

The altean ships flew rapidly, avoiding Voltron’s shots; they were at least twice the number of Lions, and if this was only the vanguard, Lance preferred not to think about how many they’d have to face later.

“So how will we get rid of them!?” Keith roared, firing with the Black Lion. “They’ll follow us to the Blue Lion!”

“And we can’t go back to Olkarion!”

“Nor can we wormhole from Daibazaal!”

Zethrid and Ezor were shooting warrior cries; Axca yelled to Keith multiple tactics; Shiro did the same with Pidge, who was fiercely retorting to the attacks; Hunk yelled over everyone, to let off steam or because of an old habit, Lance couldn’t choose. But the cacophony from within his own team, plus the multiple hits he repeatedly received filled his mind in a swirling chaos, stunning him, making him dizzy. He felt light-headed, as if he saw the battle from the outside. However, this was real. Very real…

Coming from the void, a blast of light brutally struck the Lions, causing the vibrations to intensify significantly. Lance heard from afar:

“What’s happening?!”

Keith’s voice. He should have known; it had already happened. To the blinding white light, a fainter blue one glowed, this time coming, as it seemed, from himself. Lance closed his eyes to escape all the stimuli, holding on so tightly to the vision of the Blue Lion, to its signature, to…

An ardent wave of emotions crashed on them, pouring out all its excitement, its adrenaline, its elation, its bliss… So much feelings, that bound them together, but that did not belong to their actual story… They were flying together, five noble Lions racing in an empty corner lost into space…

Everything faded as rapidly as it had appeared; the white light had only lasted a few seconds, but it brought away all the noises; there were only four Lions floating, all alone. Within the team, a heavy silence had fallen, settling in each of their being, replacing the previous exaltation. The calm had come back, weighing on their soul; the altean attackers had disappeared into thin air. Or was it they, who had vanished?

Lance started to hear shuffles from his intercom; the Lions could still move, much to their relief. They slowly observed their surroundings;

“Everyone, come in!”

That was Keith; the other Paladins reported;

“Pidge here.”

“Shiro here.”

“Hunk here.”

“Lance here.”

There was a sigh of relief coming from the intercom;

“At least, we know everyone within the Lions didn’t disappear…” Keith murmured.

“But where are we?” Pidge asked, fright showing off in her voice. “And what happened? I felt… joyful, for a moment…”

The silence weighed again. Lance had a hunch about this, and he felt like Keith and Shiro were both struggling with the same doubts. They would almost sound crazy. Almost.

“I think we just caught a glimpse from another reality…” Shiro said on a soft voice.

Ever since the alternate Altean started the war, back on Altea, they had completely forgotten about the visions that three members of the team were experiencing; Keith had been the one to discover their origin, after having lived a few minutes into the body of another of his selves, one that wasn’t a Paladin, one who was still fighting the war against the Galras. Shiro had felt the terror as he had lived again his abduction, proving how unlucky some Takashis still were. Lance had seen, multiple times, his other selves flying into space, fighting off monsters or becoming commander at the Garrison. All living dreams he could not reach in this reality.

“You… You mean…” Hunk stammered after a second of stupefaction. “Like those… but…”

“How did we vanish?”

Pidge had interrupted him; the fear of the unknown added to her panic, but she took a deep breath, trying to maintain a composure. 

“I don’t know, but I think… I think we’ve just solved the teludav’s disappearance mystery,” Keith realized, keeping his tone low.

Lance frowned, but then he remembered the stories he had heard at the Garrison; a cargo ship, one of Keith’s crew, had vanished while within a wormhole, reappearing star systems further than planned. Sam Holt, responsible of that technology, hadn’t been able to gather proofs to explain the phenomenon. But, as the Paladins looked around and gained the certitude that they weren’t in the same system anymore, they gloomily came to the same conclusion: if the visions really came from tears in the fabric of their reality, the situation seemed to worsen with time.

“But why did it happen then? Why are we here, specifically? Why can’t we go back now?” Pidge asked, voice rising of an octave. 

Lance felt his heart squeeze at the fear he heard in her voice;

“Our alternate selves must have been flying around here,” he said in a clumsy attempt to reassure her. “Maybe we… stepped into a hole in our reality’s tissue, both teams at the same time?”

He heard Pidge take a few shaky breaths;

“Yeah, maybe…” she whispered.

“Look, good thing is: the alternate Alteans won’t find us here, now…” Keith asserted. “We just have to determine our position…”

They looked around for familiar constellations, but neither them nor their Lions’ system recognized the surroundings. However, the spirit of their Lions was filled with excitement, and under the Paladins’ feet, the ground vibrated louder, as if they were purring.

“There must be…”

Hunk’s sentence was abruptly cut short by Lance’s yelp; a yelp of surprise, of shock, and of pain. The Red Lion turned around in a vehement movement, while the rest of the team yelled Lance’s name. But Lance didn’t hear them; he had been filled, so suddenly, with another consciousness’ signature, one recognizable in millions. 

Ignoring his friends’ concerned calls, he rushed into the direction, feeling the growing sense of urgency that the other spirit emitted. The team couldn’t do anything except follow his lead, and they flew like crazy for a few seconds, seconds that seemed to pass like hours. 

When Lance cut his Lion’s power, at last, he heard the Paladins’ amazed gasps; Blue was floating, powerless, in front of them.

 

The first emotion that he could recall was relief; for now, Lance was alright. And then, pain bore into his heart; the Blue Paladin would fall back into grief, fall again for another Paladin that wasn’t even there, and forget him again. He had waited for so long, only to fade away in front of a memory.

Then, it was guilt; Keith couldn’t blame Lance for feeling; Lance didn’t belong to anyone, and if he chose Allura, so it would be. But it didn’t refrain a faint jealousy to taint his thoughts.

Envy, when he heard Lance’s rapid footsteps growing fainter from the intercom. When he saw him jump out of Red, suit on, propelling himself in Blue’s direction. Wishing he could be the one Lance would be so eager to see. He barely heard the other Paladins call for Lance.

But then, Keith’s personal feelings faded away to suspicion; Lance had just reached the Blue Lion’s jaw, and now was entering the cockpit, but something about Blue didn’t feel right; Keith felt a threat suspended just above Lance’s head, ready to trap him.

Suddenly, the Red Paladin shouted his name; he shouted him to wait, to come back, to at least let them come with him. The team was surprised to hear the panic in his voice, but he didn’t care, to let his mask fall for a moment.

However, just as Keith was urging his Lion towards Blue, they heard Lance let out a cry, a scream that echoed through the intercoms, right into their ears; the sound made Keith go numb for an instant. 

Terror struck him at the same time it hit all of his teammates; they rushed after him, their calls even louder than a few seconds ago. Keith was silently begging the sky; please, oh please, that nothing happens to him, not him, not Lance…

They all got out of their Lions and gathered around Blue’s mouth; the interior was dark. On Shiro’s harsh nod, they rushed inside, Bayard out, ready to fight anything that would have attacked. But nothing came at them all the way down the cockpit. Tension was palpable; it was hard to really define his friends’ expression through the helmet’s vizor, but Keith knew their blood was running cold, hearing over and over Lance’s last cry.

All of the sudden, the path lit up of the usual blue of the Lion. The pilot’s seat, less than a few feet forward, was occupied. A blue helmet stuck out from the back of the chair. 

Keith didn’t notice he had taken a step forward until he exclaimed:

“Lance! What happened?”

The seat turned in their direction, and they all gasped, shuddering; the man sitting on the pilot’s chair had Lance’s body. Lance’s athletic shoulders. Lance’s graceful hands. Lance’s delicate nose and soft looking hair.

But when he removed his helmet with a deliberate slowness, it revealed two details that never had belonged to Lance;

His altean markings glowed purple.

And his eyes glittered of a malicious calmness, the expression of someone having waited for so long to tighten a trap around those who had brought them wrong.

And they had been lured right into it.

Lance smirked of a vicious joy;

“It has been a long time, Paladins.”

Their blood ran cold; Lance’s eyes glowed purple as Honerva’s voice spoke through their Blue Paladin.


	7. Losing a Soul, Finding a Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!
> 
> I'm sorry for the late uptade, it's been really long and I'm aware of it.
> 
> Now that I'll work only on this story, I'll uptade every three weeks, or at least until the end of June (school is almost over!). I really wanted to post this chapter last week, but there were some unexpected events in my life lately, and May is a prettu occupied month for me. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Shiro felt like all air had been sucked out of his lungs; no, this couldn’t be happening, no, no…

Their team had already suffered the loss of one of their Paladins. And their adventure had started with a celebration in her spirit’s honour. But here, that night, they never felt as far from their original purpose, as Lance stared at them with satisfaction, slyness viciously changing his usual glittering glaze.

Where was the real Lance now, their one and only Blue Paladin? Was there, somewhere under this possession, still a faint remaining of his soul? 

Oh god, he should have known better than to let the Paladins get lured into this trap…

Shiro knew what it was like, to be sucked out of his own body, he knew it too well… Desperately trying to reach his friends, screaming over the void’s numbness, but finding his yells simply echoing into the nothingness. Watching, helpless, as a presence snuck into his life, violating every source of peacefulness and intimacy there was still left. 

He knew it too well, and he was terrified at the simple possibility of it happening again. But he had still lowered his guards, and now someone else was paying the price for his negligence.

And that someone was a member of his own team, his family…

How hadn’t he seen it coming?!

Shiro closed his eyes, forcing himself to breath in and out slowly, clenching his fist to stop it from shaking. If there was a way to bring Lance back before the damage was done, he had to be there for him. To be strong for the whole team.

His features were slightly hardened as he looked up, risking a glance at Haggar’s wickedly amused glare. It hadn’t disappeared, and the last, forlorn hope that the previous events were only part of his imagination faded away to a thick resignation. 

The whole team stood there, shocked, shoulders tensed and wearing different degrees of hatred or despair. Pidge’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes widened with horror, pupils dilated, frozen in the moment, not even daring to breath, as if then, time would go back, would stop leading to this impasse. Hunk, on the opposite, blinked repeatedly, in disbelief, to make the cruel glitter in his best friend’s glaze fade away, his troubled brow betraying his inner distress, his inner state of utter dismay.

Keith’s eyes were dangerously dark, stormy, thunder probably roaring in his mind, an expression of pain, anger – and was it regret? – piercing his usual impenetrable mask. With his haunted, crazed look, he seemed wrenched, assaulted by a thousand torments, almost desperate.

Shiro understood how he felt. Or at least, he could imagine very well the dread, the horror of watching, helpless, a loved one being stolen from their own body and mind, without knowing if there was even a slight possibility of getting them back. 

Lance was family, and their family had been stolen. Again.

After a long silence that only seemed to nourish the fire, Lance – or should he say, Haggar – turned her glowing eyes towards each of them, slowly, searching their being to find a remaining part of rebellion. Shiro shook his head and tried to regain his composure, to let his strength rise, but as soon as the sorceress’ glaze fell on him, all resistance seemed to fade away. He could only stare back, stiffened, struggling to close his mind to her penetration, at her purple, vile glare and at the dark violet, corrupted gleam of Lance’s alteans markings. 

After a second, Haggar’s eyes glimmered slyly, thirstily, in a way that froze Shiro’s whole being with terror, but didn’t hurt him with her obscure spells. Instead, she stretched Lance’s features into a pernicious amusement, one that made all of them shudder, intimidated, clenching their jaw to refrain their furor. 

At last, Haggar rose in a deliberately slow pace from the Blue Paladin’s seat and savoured their fear from her position;

“You must have a lot of inquiries, all of which are unnecessary and inappropriate. But I feel like my presence is quite a shock for you now, is it?”

No doubt: it was the same hissing, malefic, perverse voice that haunted Shiro’s worse nightmares, that tortured his darkest nights. The commander, who had stood tall and confident in front of all dangers, was now clenching his hand with his synthetic arm to cover his tremors, distressed and terrified. Throat dry, gulping laboriously to swallow his fear, he forced himself to straighten his shoulders, to hide his growing anxiety.

He didn’t believe having fooled anyone. And especially not that witch.

His old injury, the one Haggar had caused him with her magic right before their Lions had been thrown out of the wormhole after a particularly intense encounter with Zarkon – and his evil wife – stung bitterly, in a reminder of all that she was capable of.

Haggar had paused, aware of the effect she gave off, before continuing:

“Of course, you would never have guessed yourself I could have taken shelter in one of the Voltron Lions.” Her eyes went to Shiro, and she smirked, outrageously, never taking her glare off him. “In that case, you have underestimated me.”

“We never did.” 

Haggar lost her satisfied air and turned to the source of the voice; Keith stood firm, bristling with a contained fury, challenging her with his glaze. 

“You simply aren’t worth the spirit of a Lion,” he said on a low, thundering voice. “It never touched our minds that you’d have the capacity of reaching further than Voltron’s foot.”

Hunk and Pidge took a sharp breath, eyes wide as they tried to indicate Keith to shut up. It wasn’t the time to make Haggar mad, as she owned Lance’s body for now. But the witch simply looked down on him, bearing his glare, scanning his face to see if he had meant his words or if he really was just stupid. 

Keith’s retort against the sorceress however was enough to inspire Shiro. Pushing away his apprehension, he inhaled deeply and took a step forward, slightly raising his head;

“What do you want, witch?” he demanded, somehow achieving to hide the tremor in his voice. “Why did you take Lance?”

Her unnatural eyes slowly going back to Shiro after a last despising glance to Keith, she forced a disdainful smile to swallow her indignation;

“I thought I already told you how unnecessary your questions would be.”

“And if I recall correctly, you also told us that you were going to save all realities and put yourself away,” he answered back, under the team’s admiring glares.

How could she dare to rub her treason right under their nose and expect them to bow to her? 

Haggar’s smirk widened and her eyes wrinkled spitefully, but none of them backed off. The threat on Lance’s life and on the universe was more important than their fear.

“Indeed I did,” she admitted, mockingly bowing her head. “But you should have known I could not be held away for long,” she added, eyes suddenly plunging into Shiro’s, glowing with a nasty pleasure. “My spirit is too powerful to be locked, and realities were not saved as your precious princess wanted you to believe.”

“Then it’s your fault, and not Allura’s,” Pidge exclaimed, stung and angered by Haggar’s indirect insult towards the princess. 

As outraging as the words were, something else held Shiro’s attention in Haggar’s statement; urging Pidge to listen, he hesitantly chimed in:

“What do you mean, ‘all realities were not saved’?”

Haggar let out a deliberate sigh;

“Realities were built back, but the true enemies were not stopped.” Her sly glare observed each of their reactions, and Shiro had to admit he was shocked: she had been stuck in the Lion, how could she know about the alternate Alteans?

Somewhere in his mind, a voice reminded him: Alfor had known too, within the Red Lion. Were the disturbance within realities the cause of dead spirits coming back? 

Pidge, of course, had theorized that the astral plane, the world between the living and the dead, would be the first affected by the tears in their universe’s fabric. At what cost?

Haggar’s voice, who had paused to let her words sink in, rose again:

“Am I right, when I say that spiteful beings have taken advantage of the weakness in realities?”

The Paladins glanced at each other, torn apart between admitting the truth and pretending their universe was fine. Shiro bit his lower lip, frustrated to stand one step behind again.

But before they could decide, Hunk diverted the question, his tone slightly alarmed;

“Weakness? What weakness?”

It was a detail no one had noticed; Haggar rose one of Lance’s eyebrows, in a condescending expression, again, so horribly against Lance’s friendly teasing that Shiro suddenly wished to erase it with his fist. 

He jumped slightly, surprised; the thought was startling, troubling: he usually didn’t have a violent nature. Ashamed, he lowered his head, frowning, before the realization struck him: Haggar’s eyes were still on him. 

As soon as he was aware of her stare, he felt a pressure release on his mind, and he shook his head, recovering his senses. Shuddering, Shiro raised a humiliated look to the witch; how could she sneak into his mind so easily?

As if nothing happened, Haggar went on:

“All realities almost died,” she explained, avoiding the fact it had been her fault. “The Altean Princess gave her life to save them, and I must admit, her quintessence is quite powerful, pure enough to give life instead of grasping it. But as she did so, her quintessence was mixed with mine, and with the Paladins of old’s. Hybrid quintessence is not as clean, even if it can be more powerful.”

“More consuming, you mean,” Keith grumbled, drawing Haggar’s scathing look on him.

“Yes,” she let out in a hiss, after a few seconds. “Before her intervention, realities were formed with the purest, brightest, and most dangerous quintessence. But since then, realities are unstable, tearing apart. I believe you know what happens when you step into a tear.”

“When we… what?” Keith asked defensively.

Haggar seemed spitefully pleased with his ignorance;

“Tears,” she said smoothly, managing her effect. “The holes between realities. You step in one, and you catch a brief glance of another reality. Of course, it is easier when your own body generates quintessence…”

Somewhere, in Shiro’s mind, a cloud of mystery was cleared: their visions. Keith, Lance and himself had all seen an episode of one of their other selves’ universe, but since the answerless interrogations had only added to their weight of responsibilities, they had partially let them go, or at least, pushed them away for some time. But it made sense: Lance’s altean markings, Keith’s galran heritage, and even the blue stone, from Allura’s crown, the one she had given him for his synthetic arm, they all held quintessence. 

That was why only them three had witnessed those visions (or nightmare, in Shiro’s case). Neither Pidge nor Hunk had quintessence in their bodies.

From afar, Haggar’s words reached his ears;

“I believe it is possible to even direct that quintessence to a specific reality, or to a specific place into another reality.” Shiro abruptly rose his head, exchanging alarmed looks with the Paladins. It was not so subtle, but Haggar didn’t interrupt her explanations: “…or to exchange consciousness with another self, from another reality.”

“And that would explain why the alternate Alteans can suddenly disappear and travel between realities,” Pidge suddenly exclaimed, amazed. “They found a way to control the tears and open them as doors, and with some piece of tech, direct their quintessence to ‘wormhole’ to the universe they want!”

Haggar looked at her, and Pidge’s hand came to her mouth, realizing her error. But the witch simply nodded in acknowledgment, and Shiro sighed, pushing away his despair; she would have known anyways.

“Alternate Alteans,” Haggar mused, eyes at last letting go the Paladins. “Alteans from an alternate reality, I presume. You are lucky that they didn’t simply replace your own Alteans…”

“It’s possible?” Hunk risked, apprehending the answer.

Haggar shrugged, and Shiro felt his heart squeeze: that gesture wasn’t one of a powerful sorceress. It was a young man’s habit. Lance’s.

“Is it not how you arrived here?” Haggar’s glare glowed of a brighter light, of a threatening purple. “Stepping into the same tear as another Voltron; briefly interchanging bodies, before your spirit is called back to your physical world, only it lacks the energy to go back to your body, so your body comes to it instead.”

“So, you mean… changing places with our alternate selves?” Pidge hesitated “Some kind of… teleporting to the tear they stepped in, but… in our reality?”

Haggar let out a snigger;

“Yes, of course, unless you have been able to direct your quintessence to this specific place, which I highly doubt,” she replied.

Shiro wondered; Haggar’s first theory seemed to finally solve the teludav’s mystery. The cargo ship must have stepped into a tear and exchanged places with another cargo ship, from another reality. The teludav itself, according to Sam’s researches, hadn’t been the problem. But this time… The Voltron team had indeed felt emotions that had not been theirs, and flown in another corner of the universe, but had it really been an exchange? 

But who would have used their quintessence, unknowingly, to “wormhole” them to here? To the Blue Lion?

Pidge and Hunk couldn’t have done it; their bodies didn’t have quintessence. It wasn’t him either. He hadn’t thought of anything else other than the panic of the moment and fighting back the alternate Alteans. Keith? It was improbable. Did he even have enough quintessence, since it wasn’t altean?

Lance… The more Shiro pondered it, the more certitude he gained. Lance had had a tight bond with the Blue Lion, and he had felt its attraction from Olkarion. Could he have unconsciously reached to its spirit and used it as an escape?

“How do you know all that?”

Keith brutally interrupted his thoughts; turning towards him, Shiro noticed how wary the Red Paladin seemed, as he stood on guards, ready to jump in and fight the sorceress with his bare hands.

Haggar gave him a disdainful, haughty look;

“I feel all the events cutting through the fabric of reality, Paladin. My quintessence is one of the threads that wove together the universe.”

“Then what do you want from us!?”

The words, an explosion of contained anger, held their ounce of despair, barely audible, but still reaching the heart like a distress cry. Shiro bit his lips, torn apart between approval and resignation.

Keith, panting slightly, stared at Haggar, eyes frightening with their promise of revenge, with their light madness, with their fire of threat. But Haggar didn’t look impressed;

“I came back because I was the most powerful spirit. Now, I will rid the universe from the horrendous beings trying to rule free lives.”

 

What kind of scary ass joke was that?! They all knew Lance liked pranks, but he would never pull a trick so horrifying, so macabre. This, above anything else, convinced Keith that Lance wasn’t simply hiding behind some kind of magic, that his Blue Paladin was really gone.

Haggar, saving the universe? That was ridiculous! The only thing she had ever tried to save was her family, but she had been so obsessed and corrupted that she only had achieved to almost destroy all realities. Keith stared at her, utterly shocked, and immediately suspicious of her true intentions.

His teammates seemed just as startled as him, and after a few seconds of disbelief, Hunk blurted out:

“And how do you count on doing that?”

Satisfied, Haggar let Lance’s body fall back into the Paladin’s chair. Keith stiffened, clenching his jaw to keep his impulse within. That witch wasn’t worth sitting at a Lion’s commands.

“I have many plans for this universe, Paladin,” she asserted with a smirk.

Keith couldn’t help it;

“And you really think we’ll let you wander in our universe?” he barked, drawing his team’s glares on him. “That we’ll trust you with our fate?”

Haggar straightened up, plunging her vile look into Keith’s eyes;

“In fact, I don’t think you have a choice,” she claimed. “You don’t know anything about those alternate Alteans, or about the complexity of travelling through realities. So not only your universe has no chance without me, but this young man doesn’t either.”

Haggar looked at Lance’s hands, then, with a malevolent grin, gestured to his whole body;

“I have the Blue Paladin at my mercy,” she said, and her grin widened, spiteful. “His consciousness is simply put at rest, for now. But how long will it last?”

She got up and, slowly, stared at each of the Paladins. 

“His body isn’t made to hold too many spirits all at once.”

Keith had to physically restrain himself from jumping on the witch. She had guts, to sugarcoat her open threats towards Lance! 

Aware of his fury, Shiro took a step forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was a root, as much as it was chains, stopping him from making regrettable acts.

But Keith could say the Black Paladin was just as shaken as him; the hand weighted on his shoulder, squeezed it in a spasm, and looked just like the grip holding on to a the life in a storm. 

Hunk’s mouth fell open as he looked around, his soft eyes widened in panic. He caught Keith’s glare and sent him a pleading glance, silently begging to drive the witch out, to drag Lance back into his body and to forget all of this story. And Keith would have liked nothing better than that. 

Pidge, who had turned pale, opened her mouth a couple of times before a single sound was able to come out of it;

“You… you can’t…” she croaked weakly.

Haggar turned to face her, a sorry smile nastily coming to Lance’s face;

“Oh, I think a young woman as brilliant as you knows very well the limits of a physical body, and if you are as intelligent as you seem to be, you should be careful with what you tell me to do; you should know by now what I am capable of.”

Keith clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles became white. So now, they would be answering the witch’s orders? Bowing to her while she plotted against their universe, watching without acting as Lance’s body would rot and crumble in front of their eyes, by her fault. 

Helpless. They were helpless. Vulnerable, as Haggar used their emotions against their reason.

Pidge shut promptly and lowered her head, blinking rapidly as if tears threatened to flow on her cheeks. Discreetly, the Paladins came closer to each other and slightly huddled up together, for comfort as well as for protection. They were making a human wall, stopping Haggar from fleeing with Lance. 

But they knew they couldn’t hold her there forever.

“You said you had a plan,” Hunk reminded her harshly. 

Keith had rarely seen Hunk look so cold, so mad at someone. And it was a very weird view; Hunk and Lance were best friends since many years, but now, Hunk looked down on the Blue Paladin’s figure, look dark and openly wearing a disgusted expression. 

It wasn’t just weird; it was heartbreaking.

Haggar, imperturbable, bore his look with resignation.

“I do indeed,” she let out at last, losing interest in Hunk. “You see, those Alteans you were talking about, do you even know what their purpose is?”

A small silence followed her question, and the Paladins gave each other sidelong glances; it was time to face their ignorance, and receive the blows of its consequences.

“No,” Keith forced out, his jaw stiffened from anger.

“We believe they try to reign on all realities, in universes formed by slaves of the Altean race,” Shiro said. Even though Keith could still guess his nervousness, he was relieved that the previous Black Paladin stood his guards. “By taking away their free will, with a little piece of technology,” he added.

Haggar nodded thoughtfully, and her eyes glittered purple;

“So what you do need is to corrupt their technology and turn the lifeless citizens against them,” she wrapped up.

“No!” Hunk exclaimed, so vividly everyone jumped. “No, we meant to give our universe its free will back, not to use the alternate Alteans’ slaves!”

Haggar’s smile was clearly forced when she said:

“Of course…” 

“We were to go back to our planet,” Shiro went on, giving his teammates a warning glance. “Our scientists will analyze their piece of technology, and we will then confront our enemies with the results.”

Haggar snickered in derision;

“And you think you will fight off those people with so little?”

“It’s better than to trust a witch!” Keith shouted, exasperated.

For a moment, he feared having stepped too far, but Haggar simply observed him mockingly.

“Then go, execute your own plan the way you want to,” she said, a wicked smile widening on her face. “I will step out, but I won’t go. You’ll see, you will need my power.”

The Paladins stared at each other; Pidge was biting her lip, probably weighting their options, but all the others seemed to agree with Keith. Watching the witch, vigilant, but keeping her around in case they were really stuck with no other choice for the sake of the universe. And to get Lance back as soon as they could.

“We still have a problem, though,” Shiro admitted, reluctantly. “We have to get back to Earth. Only…”

“We’ll take back Daibazaal,” Keith announced, tone categoric, refusing any objections.

From their looks, Keith guessed that his team wasn’t startled by his intentions. But he felt like he had to make himself clear.

“It’s the third planet that those Alteans attack,” he insisted, refraining his worry. “We’ll take them by surprise, show them we’re ready to fight for our universe. Plus, Daibazaal is the only way to get back to Earth.”

“It wouldn’t if you had learnt to control the tears, just like your enemies,” Haggar drawled. “The only one who would be able to do it, would be your Blue Paladin…”

“I won’t let you abuse Lance’s being for your own greed,” he snapped, so abruptly that even himself was startled those words had come out of his mouth.

But unlike his team’s wide eyes, Haggar seemed to cruelly enjoy the argument;

“His quintessence is the purest, but if you ‘won’t let me’, then so it is,” she said slyly. “There would still be another way… My own quintessence. It is way more powerful than the Alteans’…”

“No,” Keith asserted, dry, final. “You can’t create wormholes, only corrupt them. And you won’t use your curses in Lance’s body. I won’t risk weakening him.”

“Why does it even matter?” Haggar looked at him, beaming viciously in front of his furor. “If you refuse my help, Daibazaal it is.”

“Good!”

Then, turning his back to the witch, Keith stared at his teammates, ready to face their protests.

But no one dissented from his decision. 

“We’ll need to find a way to bring along the Red and the Blue Lion,” Shiro simply remarked.

That detail, as insignificant as it seemed, fell down on Keith’s already enormous pile of concerns. But Pidge’s voice rose, hesitant:

“Why don’t we… go back to how it was? Shiro’s bond with the Black Lion was quite strong, and Keith can surely win Red’s trust again…”

“Wait, that’s actually a good idea!” Hunk looked at Keith and Shiro, hopeful. “Then, we’ll just have to drag along the Blue Lion. Yellow can carry it, or Black, of course.”

“I could command the Blue Lion,” Haggar proposed, smirking. “But I guess your leader is opposed to my control…”

Only silence replied to her sarcasm. Keith held his anger within, praying to maintain a decent composure.

“So?” Pidge asked.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t give it a shot.” Shiro smiled weakly. “We can’t miss a chance to do something great.”

Keith simply nodded.

“Perfect!” Pidge seemed relieved that her idea had been accepted so easily. “Since the Red Lion is too small for three more persons, Keith’s crew will stay with Shiro. Concerning Lance…”

“Haggar’s coming with me.”

Everyone turned to Keith, whose features were hard, resolute. Haggar twisted Lance’s lips into a contemptuous smirk, so unlike his enthusiast beam that everyone shuddered. But Keith didn’t flinch, nor did he look away. With a challenging glare to anyone who would oppose his decision, he claimed:

“I want to keep an eye on… her. Plus, maybe the Red Lion will wake something in Lance.”

Haggar let out a short, dry snigger, but didn’t contradict his statement. Keith sent her a flaring glare before vehemently turning around and storming off a single glance back at his team. None of the Paladins were actually surprised, if not a little startled to see their leader wear his repulsion so openly. But he didn’t care.

He was back at the time he couldn’t control his outbursts, at the time he let his recklessness rule his decisions. But he didn’t care; the abyss of Lance’s loss opened under his feet, far deeper in its despair than the endless darkness of space he had in front of his eyes.

Turning on his jetpack, he hurled himself forward, but he wasn’t heading to the Black Lion, as he realized halfway through; floating inert, its metallic jaw cold under his glove, Red didn’t stop Keith as he poured out the flow, the storm of distress twirling within his mind. She immediately recognized the source of his sorrow, and emitted her own melancholy, that Keith simply acknowledged. 

It was a strange way to wear grief; joining cries through a telepathic link, sharing tears through a single touch. Keith let Red take his emotions and lock them to safety, let her assimilate his frustration and desperation in her consciousness for Lance to discover them if… when he would come back.

Over their common distress, the Red Lion and its old Paladin would unite again.

Keith felt a presence approaching behind him. He sighed; he knew Shiro would never let him down, but since the responsibility of being the Black Paladin was, Keith hadn’t expected him to worry about his emotions.

Shiro flew to him, remaining quiet. A comfortable silence settled between them, two insignificant men watching an entity as old as time. After a few seconds, Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder;

“I know you’re worried, Keith,” he said softly, letting the silence tell the words they didn’t need to hear. “But I know you; your instincts will guide you to the right path. Everything will work out, even if it’s not the way you’d want them to.”

“The universe is so vast, and we’re so little,” Keith murmured, voice threatening to break. “I can’t even protect those I love; how will I protect the whole universe?”

His words were the surface of all that he couldn’t say; his guilt, for Olkarion and Altea, his anxiety, for Coran and Romelle, his fear, for his mother, and now, the terror of losing Lance to Haggar’s filthy magic… It was too much, too much to bear…

“More than six years ago, I was possessed by that same witch who now corrupted Lance,” Shiro reminded him. “And you saved me. But it had been impossible for you to keep me from getting abducted by the Galras in the first place. Your stubbornness and your determination, however, were the cause of many good things. At the end, you became a leader, and saved both me and the universe.”

Keith chuckled, but concern weighted on his heart more than he let through. He knew Shiro didn’t need his words to understand. 

“Right now, we are in the dark, but everything happens for a reason. And we will win, at the end; win this war, save realities, and get Lance back before it’s too late.”

 

The Red Lion opened up to him pretty easily. Or maybe it was because she sensed the urge of her Paladin’s disappearance. Either way, it was with nostalgia tainted with regret that Keith put his hands on the commands.

His crew had accepted the little explanations they got with faint grumbling. But they had shut when Shiro had stepped in, breathing deeply as he had closed his eyes to concentrate on his bond with the Black Lion. And, understanding their situation, Black had lit up almost immediately under his touch.

For now, the flight remained quiet. Only whispers could be heard through the intercom as the Lions scanned the surroundings for any indication on their position. The Paladins had been a little worried to be lost, but Pidge had reassured them, saying that, worst came to happen, she could always trace Daibazaal through Black’s recent trajectories and send them the coordinates. The Lions would get to the location themselves.

Keith would often send sidelong glances to Lance; ever since their departure, Haggar had stood right behind his seat. He could feel her glare in the back of his neck, and he hated how it gave him shudders. 

He was still wary, and the silence weighted on him unlike it had ever done. Usually, Keith was way more comfortable with silences than with conversations. But now…

“Did you know how scared he was to be rejected as a Paladin? To not be able to pilot a Lions anymore?”

Keith gritted his teeth, fully aware that Haggar was testing him, taunting him.

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t taken advantage of him,” he hissed, gripping harder on Red’s commands to keep his calm. From afar, he felt Red’s energy reflecting his own emotions. 

“Oh, but his spirit was too weak to resist me anyways.” Keith felt Lance lean forward on the back of his chair, and he clenched his jaw, swallowing his loath with great difficulty.

It’s not Lance, he repeated himself over and over, to ground him to the plain reality. As soon as he would let go of his emotions, his mind would be blurred by a red mist, and how would he be able to find back his Blue Paladin if he couldn’t think straight?

But instead of calming him down, the words painfully seized his chest, tightening their grip around his heart. 

“It was only a matter of time until he was gone,” Haggar’s dry, hoarse voice continued. 

Coming from Lance’s mouth, its echo sounded even more terrifying than what he ever recalled.

“He would have done it himself if I hadn’t intervened…”

Keith’s heart missed a beat;

“What do you mean?” he asked, trying to sound cold, composed, but the question came out rushed and anxious. Hands letting go of the commands, he abruptly turned around, forcing Haggar to take a few steps backwards, and searched Lance’s face for some part of truth, some part of his old self speaking. But it was still the witch.

An inhuman, bloodthirsty sparkle lit somewhere in Lance’s eyes. In Haggar’s glowing, purple, evil glare. 

“I mean,” she said, slowly, relishing his desperation like a personal victory, “if he had the least bit of senses, he would have understood that he wasn’t needed here. His person was all but irreplaceable.”

Silence fell. Heavy. Tensed. The words triggered something within Keith, a pain that set loose his emotions: his anger, his terror, his distress… And he knew too damn well that Lance would react the same way upon hearing someone say that. Say that he was replaceable.

A flood of guilt and of rage filled Keith’s being as he tried to ignore his fear. Fear that Lance had never understood how valuable he was. How loved. Fear that he, as the leader of the team and as a friend, had turned his back on the Blue Paladin when he needed his ear more than anything else. 

Fear that now, he would never have a chance to tell Lance that he was worth everything in Keith’s universe. 

“That’s not true,” he growled, eyes flaring up as he completely let go of his cautiousness. Of his walls.

“Or is it?” she said, a sly, ferocious smile stretching Lance’s features in such a displeasing way. But it wasn’t because of it that Keith fought to bear her glaze: her words, meant to hit like bricks, grated on his ears with their unfairness, with their indignant misconception, cut deeper than knives plunged straight into his heart; “Then how is it,” Haggar whispered, “that you took control of the Red Lion so rapidly after its previous Paladin fell to me?” 

She advanced on him, smirking cruelly;

“You must admit,” she went on, unconscious of the murderous gleam that appeared in Keith’s eyes, “that I did some good, by taking control of his body. My presence is the only thing preventing him to throw himself away. The only thing erasing his uselessness…” 

“Will you SHUT UP?!” 

Keith’s blood was boiling in his veins, the combined strength of his own furor and the Red Lion’s outrage. He had gotten up and hurled himself forward in such a harsh movement that Haggar hadn’t thought of backing off, and he violently grabbed the front of Lance’s armour, plunging his eyes into her scornful, ruthless glare.

“Keith, what’s happening?”

His team’s voices were echoing through the intercom, but they were no more than a mere sound to his ears; his lucidity had faded away to wrath, an infinite, ardent, raging wrath that burnt every remaining of his composure, every remaining of his calm.

“You don’t get to invade his memories,” he fumed, with a fire of madness in his eyes. “And you don’t get to invade his life, his privacy as such. You are a monster, a disgusting, selfish, wicked –”

“ENOUGH!”

The word, spit out just like poison, ended in a raucous, savage scream, gathering power, gathering force. And suddenly, Keith was struck by brutal rays of lightening, throwing him backwards, hurling him against his chair. He caught a brief, flashing glance of Lance’s arms raised in front of him, his palms facing Keith’s chest, threatening, his vicious air of triumph, before he brutally hit the ground.

No, it wasn’t Lance. It was Haggar. Lance would never attack another being with such savage pleasure…

Something abruptly tore the spell apart. Keith’s hands grabbed his head as an acute pain shrilled within his mind, violent, throbbing, and he weakly brought his knees under his chest, wincing. His view was fogged, but he could still see the figure in front of him stumble and catch itself on the control panel. Groaning, he laboriously got up, one hand gripping his seat for balance and the other still pressed against his forehead. 

Raising his head with great difficulty, Keith caught glimpse of a surprising view: Lance, or Haggar, was bent over, looking like she was assaulted with the same pain as him. Eyelids closed tightly, she mouthed some words, or some incantations, he would never be sure.

At that moment, Haggar threw Lance’s head back and a scream came out of her mouth; a hair-rising, distressing scream, coming from a thousand sufferances, squeezing Keith’s heart as he unintentionally made a few wobbly steps forward. Something was off.

As Keith stood a few inches away, Lance’s body froze, and the scream stopped just as abruptly as it had started. Lance’s mouth was still opened, his face was pale, but only his eyes caught Keith’s attention; they were wide, crazy, looking far away into a world he couldn’t see, but they had stopped glowing.

They had stopped glowing, and they were blue.

“What the…” Keith started, astonished, but he was cut off by a harrowing voice.

“Keith?”

That wasn’t Haggar’s voice. Haggar spoke through hisses and felony, and she would never inspire such distress, such forlorn hopes to flood within Keith’s heart.

“Lance?” 

Lance took a sharp breath and, fighting against another force, he brutally tore out of his daze. Sweat dripping with the effort he made to preserve his identity, he made one step forward.

Immediately, as if the movement had triggered some sort of reaction, Lance’s whole body started to shake, and his legs gave way under him.

“Lance!”

Keith rushed forward, desperate, and caught the Blue Paladin before he could collapse on the ground. Getting on his knees, still clasping Lance against his chest, Keith watched, helpless, his friend’s panic.

“Stay with me, Lance,” he begged, tears falling down his face.

Lance opened his mouth, but abruptly closed his eyes as a spasm ran through his spine. He tightened his eyelids, wincing and gasping for air, struggling in Keith’s arms to escape an invisible grip. 

Keith cradled him lightly, calling his name and holding him tight. But it was hopeless.

As Lance opened his eyes again, Keith felt his heart crumble into pieces as a silent cry of distress and frustration choked in his throat.

They were purple again.

 

Daibazaal started out to be a tiny dot in the darkness of space. By some sort of luck, they had found the Blue Lion only a few star systems away, between two galaxies. What had kept it hidden all this time, no one knew for sure, but Pidge figured it must be because of the interferences of the galaxies around, creating a starless pocket where no signal could reach. 

Hours had passed, since they had taken the decision to go back to Daibazaal. The witch was getting more and more excited, more and more haughty and scornful towards them. Did she imagine the Galras would welcome her as their long lost leader? Pidge hoped not. Because then, she would be disappointed.

And who knows what she could do to Lance to show them her grudge.

Pidge felt a lump of guilt and despair form inside her throat. Lance was like a big brother to her. Maybe Shiro had been the closest one to Matt when he had disappeared, but Lance had tried his best to fill the hole her brother’s absence had let in her heart.

He hadn’t replaced Matt. No one could. But he had teased her, plotted with her, played video games with her, and above anything else, had defended and protected her from both ridiculous and threatening situations. 

But now, she had lost him too. She could count on Shiro to comfort her, on Hunk to understand her, on Keith to trust her, but only Lance would follow her in extravagant plans to defeat their enemies as much as to win an over-priced game. That was what she found so amazing in him: he would always try his hardest to relieve others from their worries, and she had needed it so, so much…

And now, it was he who needed her help.

Determination hardened her heart. She wouldn’t give up on Lance, because he would never give up on anyone in the team. She would fight as much as he was fighting right now.

Keith’s shouts had alerted the whole team, and they hadn’t been able to get a clear response of what was happening, but all of them had figured Haggar had taunted their leader to the point of explosion. But they could never have anticipated what would then happen, and Pidge didn’t think Keith had done much better: Lance, the true Lance, had overcome the witch’s spirit for a short moment, barely enough for Keith to act in consequence and for the team to realize. However, it was long enough for hopes to fill their heart; enough for horror to seize them at the thought of the torture Lance was enduring, enough for the feeling of urge and resolution to accelerate their pace. 

Enough to infuriate Haggar, who had been too blinded by her power to realize the strength of her victim. Enough to make her increase her grip and vigilance over the Blue Paladin.

It made Voltron’s mission even more urgent; as soon as they would find a way to cast out Haggar’s consciousness from Lance’s body without endangering him, they wouldn’t hesitate. And thus, without any remorse.

Maybe it was the anxiety and the stress fogging her mind, but Pidge couldn’t find any way to save Lance. And it frustrated her even more. 

She couldn’t help Lance, she couldn’t save Lance with her brain. And if her brain was the strongest weapon she owned, she now looked quite pale and desperate behind its useless shield.

The Lions flew nearer to Daibazaal, but keeping enough distance so the alternate Alteans wouldn’t see them. There wasn’t any enemy ship in the planet’s atmosphere, and for a moment, they feared having arrived too late. Again.

But as they watched anxiously, they saw a point on the surface brutally light up, before it slowly faded away. If they observed carefully, they could perceive other similar phenomena exploding a little further on the ground. 

It wasn’t long before Pidge understood it must be a chain reaction. And if they could see in from space, living it within the planet must be quite intense.

No doubt, the battle had started way before they arrived, and was continuing more and more violently.

“Everyone knows the plan?” Shiro asked, as Keith seemed to have stepped out from his role as the leader. 

Ever since the incident with Lance, Keith had withdrawn into a gloomy silence, rarely speaking more than a few words at the time, letting Shiro build up a plan to fight the alternate Alteans and deal with the team’s problems. The Red Paladin probably wasn’t indifferent of Daibazaal’s sake, since his own mother risked her life combatting their enemies. But maybe he felt like the Black Lion had opted for another leader for now, even though they hadn’t had much of a choice. 

He probably felt more, too. Feelings towards the one and only Paladin who had gotten his consciousness ripped out of his body.

A snort suddenly came out of her throat, at the same time her heart squeezed in her chest; life and fate seemed to hound on those two. 

Murmurs of agreement replied to Shiro’s question, lacking the usual adrenaline of old battles. To be honest, as hard as Pidge tried, she couldn’t find the motivation to force out more than a weak “yes” either.

“As soon as we open the line with Krolia, Pidge will use the cloaking device and flies her Lion towards the surface, and will send us a situation of the ground. The others, stay alert; the alternate Alteans will be able to intercept our signal, and either they’ll send fighters or they’ll wait for us on the ground. Their attention will be drawn on us up there, but Pidge has the advantage.”

Pidge admired how Shiro didn’t give up to sound energetic in the thick desperation, but she still perceived weariness in his tone. Their plan was all but flawless, and their leader was aware of it. But they had to believe it. They had to.

Basically, Pidge was in charge to scan the air to find any tears, while the team distracted the alternate Alteans from up there. They would warn Krolia they were here and ready to join the fight, but would use Pidge’s cloaking device to go unnoticed on the ground, sending the positions of possible tears to the other Lions so the Paladins, when they’d get down, would block any of their enemies’ attempts to run away.

Preparation had taken long and laborious hours, in which Haggar had (grudgingly) cleared some details about the flaws in their reality’s fabric. The tears’ emplacements could be noticeable by some sort of glimpse in the air, as if the image faltered briefly, and continuously emitted a staggering amount of energy. They were, in fact, points were two or more realities met, thus creating a small space where lawyers of universes piled up, struggled to take the other’s place. Because every laws of physics Pidge had learnt went against that phenomenon: only one object could fit in a free space at once.

At some point, Haggar slyly proposed to use her curses to completely block the tears. Pidge hadn’t seen her face, but she could imagine well her challenging expression, ready to prove she was more powerful than a pale imitation of her quintessence. Ready to prove Lance wouldn’t take over his own body another time.

That thought made Pidge shudder, but she raised her head, resolute. Keith had categorically refused, not ready to risk Lance’s health because of an evil witch who couldn’t refrain her cupidity. Pidge wondered how those words would stop her, but Haggar hadn’t added anything. Hopes were that she would listen to Keith when the time would come.

Pidge shook her head, clearing her thoughts; she couldn’t fail her team a second time. 

“Everyone’s ready?” Shiro let out, his voice blaring through the intercom.

“Let’s do this,” Hunk said.

Ever since Lance was possessed by Haggar’s consciousness, Pidge had placed all her strength in worrying for him, but now, she realized that Keith hadn’t been the only one to withdraw into despair. After all, Lance was Hunk’s best friend, and the Yellow Paladin must be just as affected as Keith to see him get stifled within his own mind. But now, Hunk’s tone was harsh, and it didn’t tremble in front of the scale of the challenge.

“Then on my go, Keith will open a line with Krolia. Pidge, activate cloaking device!”

Cloaking device activated, she thought. In Voltron’s times, she may have exclaimed it, but now, the weight of their responsibilities choked joy before it could even blossom.

She lit Green’s thrusters as she heard the sound of a line opening, and she headed right into Daibazaal’s atmosphere, feeling Green’s excitement trying to reach her mind, giving her strength and motivation to go on. From the intercom, she made out Krolia’s surprise and Keith’s husky voice. From the lack of speech during hours or from cries, she would never know.

Under the clouds, battle was raging; the lights they had seen from the atmosphere were the effects of a Galran explosion, a kind of bomb placed directly in the ground. The Galras must have known the drill, since they all took cover away from the line of detonations. Maybe the war hadn’t totally left the Galras’ blood, or maybe they had been staying alert, certain the universe would turn against them someday.

Either way, they were prepared for a siege. 

Pidge flew over the small figures battling, some aiming the enemy’s ranks with blasters, others sword fighting everywhere on the ground. Already, inert bodies were laying over the surface, and Pidge closed her mind to the horror it awoke within her being. Not now. She couldn’t get sensitive now.

An army of purple against an army of turquoise. The Galras had fought for many generations, and they were organized, ferocious, owned many techniques and machines of war. But the alternate Alteans came from another reality, a reality where their technologies were even more advanced. And more cruel. 

There were a few purple soldiers fighting against their own kind, and those were the hardest to take out. In fact, if the alternate Alteans had the advantage, it wasn’t because they were stronger, or more powerful; they only had one strategy, but it worked every time.

Who would kill their own, who would kill a brother or a friend?

Would they?

Pidge didn’t linger any longer on the battle. She flew around, noticing a few Altean figures standing back, and she guessed they were the generals. Her Lion’s eyes scanned the surroundings, pinpointing fluctuations of energy, faltering in the reality’s tissue. There were three tears around the whole battlefield, pretty far away from each other. 

Offhandedly, Pidge felt surprised that there were so many, but didn’t linger on the thought.

One of the tears was placed to the right of the Galras’ headquarter, a gigantic building with canons on its top, ready to send its battleships into the atmosphere. This one wouldn’t be too hard to defend, since it was heavily guarded by numerous soldiers. The two others, however, would cause a slight problem; if the headquarter was on a higher level from the ground, the city had been built about two miles further down. A tear opened just besides it, and the other was positioned right next to the battlefield, a usually empty and pretty calm valley.

If they were fast enough, the Paladins could warn the Galras and send them to guard those two tears. The alternate Alteans were advanced, but in combat, the Galras greatly prevailed over them. 

Just as Pidge sent her team the positions of the tears, a loud thud shook the Green Lion. Alarmed, she rapidly pulled the commands, but her Lion was brutally stopped in its progression. She tried to fly away, but again, something held her down, slowly but surely drawing her to the ground.

Looking down, shock took over her heart as she noticed the vicious air of a dozen Alteans, pointing to the Green Lion with small devices in their hands. With horror, she realized her enemies were pulling hard on some kind of ropes, ropes holding down the metallic paws and jaw thanks to their machines.

However, one of them held another piece of tech in their hand; Pidge squinted and abruptly came to the conclusion her cloaking device had worn off.

Panic seized her heart, and as she and her Lion fell nearer and nearer to the ground, she yelled to her friends:

“I’ve been uncovered. Help! Help!”

 

As soon as he had heard Pidge’s shouts, Hunk had dived to the ground, determined: he wouldn’t let another of his friends fall to their enemies’ grip.

He felt Yellow’s roar more than he heard it. In the intercom, he heard Shiro and Keith answer rapidly to Pidge, but he himself was too concentrated to make out their exact words.

It wasn’t long that he saw the battle on the ground. Krolia had told them how imprudent they were, but her tone lacked motivation, and she had seemed grateful to see help arrive. They still couldn’t form Voltron, but they would come there. But first, Pidge.

With great relief, Hunk noticed the Green Lion was firing at the alternate Alteans, not totally helpless. It was still attached, though, and Pidge’s defences didn’t seem to touch any of her enemies. 

From the corner of his eyes, Hunk saw the Red Lion rush to Green’s side, avoiding the Alteans’ firing and forming its jaw Blade. To his left, Black still carried the Blue Lion. 

With a battle cry, Keith cut the bounds holding the Green Lion down. Green immediately stabilized its position, growling, before aiming at the group of Alteans and suddenly firing at them with the tail. The concentrated ray should have pierced through their enemies, but the Alteans had many tricks up their sleeve; with the same machine from which the ropes had come out, a particle shield formed, protecting each of the devices’ owners, before they came together to create one big barrier. The laser hit on it and was immediately sent back towards the Paladins.

Hunk brutally pulled the commands, vehemently flying out of the line of fire. Yelps through the intercom indicated his friends did the same, and in a common movement, the Lions joined just out of reach of the Alteans, facing them with startled eyes. The Black Lion couldn’t be as rapid or as fluid as them, hampered as it was with the Blue Lion.

A communication line opened and Krolia appeared on their screen:

“We’re taking heavy fire near the headquarters!” she yelled over the sounds of battle. “We sent soldiers to guard the coordinates you sent us, but they couldn’t get passed the Alteans’ army. Some of our generals were turned against us. Do you know how to reverse those technologies?”

On the ground, the front line of Alteans opposed a particle shield to the Galras, who saw their shots repeatedly fired back at them. The rest of the Alteans turned in the other direction and headed towards their battleships or rushed to the tears’ positions. In the middle of the field, some lost Galras wandered and fired at their own ranks, at the hoktril’s mercy.

“We…” Keith started, but he was cut off by a raspy voice;

“You know it is possible, Paladins…”

Hunk felt a shudder run through his spine; any kind of magic sounded creepy to him. He was better off with technologies: they weren’t dark, they weren’t mysterious nor bad. A gun was innocent of the crimes, only the hand of the killer was malevolent. 

But magic… It came from nowhere, it defied the laws of physics. It was limited only by the evilness of one’s consciousness.

And Hunk feared Haggar’s consciousness didn’t have much remaining of good left…

“No,” Keith replied harshly. “We can take out the Alteans with our Lions…”

“Most of them are fleeing,” Haggar said, seeming viciously pleased. 

“Keith, what’s happening?”

Krolia’s sentence ended in a grunt. The Altean army was advancing on the Galras, now, and some of its soldiers were already reaching the tears. No one to stop them.

Enemy ships took off, headed directly to the Lions. Hunk hadn’t realized he was screaming, firing at the Alteans with his Lion, moving to avoid their retorts. The Voltron team did the same, but for once, they didn’t look like rightful defenders: they were scared, clumsy young humans, totally desperate to save their world without knowing how.

“We need to stop the army from crossing to another reality!” Pidge shouted, diving forward to meet with a ship.

Her Lion remained intact from the hits and crushed its enemy under its metallic teeth. 

“The Alteans are getting closer to our headquarters!” Krolia yelled.

Hunk took a quick glance to the ground, seeing purple soldiers drawing knives and swords to meet in a last combat with the Alteans. A familiar figure leading them.

The remaining Galras of the Blade of Marmora. With Keith’s mother on their top.

“We could fire in the Alteans’ ranks!”

“We’d risk hitting one of our soldiers!”

“Ships incoming!”

“THE ALTEANS ARE GETTING AWAY AGAIN!”

Several things happened at the same time; the Alteans’ ships fired at them, without any logical organization, and the Lions retorted with their own canons. Under them, the Blade of Marmora collided with the particle shield and was brutally hurled back with the violence of the Altean quintessence and energy of their devices. Some figures were stepping in the tears, creating vibrations in the air, sometimes causing flashes of light and images from another universe to crosse the Coalition’s minds. But over all of that, a raucous, shrilling scream reached the ears of thousands of fighters.

Suddenly, dark violet lightenings struck through the three tears. The sky got darker, and thunder growled as all turquoise lights powered down, sending panicked Altean soldiers to the ground. The world froze for a moment, watching, listening, as the scream continued, unbearable, impossible to hold for that long…

The fabric around the tears thickened, passed from gaseous to solid, a cloud of purple blocking the tears and surrounding the careless Alteans who had tried to pass at that instant.

But then, the scream changed, went from savage, reckless, to full of pain and very human. A fraction of second later, Keith’s voice echoed over all others:

“YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!!”

A weak, but perfidious, satisfied answer reached their ears, somehow awakening the remaining of the previous shrill;

“Protecting one Paladin over your own people? You’ve changed, Red Paladin.”

With a raging cry, the Red Lion dove forward, unable to do anything against the witch without hurting Lance. Wildly, Keith’s movement awoke the soldiers, who seemed to suddenly remember there was still a battle to win.

Without their technologies, the alternate Alteans realized there was no way for them to take the advantage again. Some of them still tried to step in the tears, but Haggar’s curse had blocked them, and they got stuck in the violet substance, who slowly swallowed the terrified foreigners. The Galras who had been controlled by a hoktril were now standing, startled, in the middle of the field, seeming lost and dazzled. 

It took a few hours to bring all Alteans together, in reinforced prisons in the headquarters’ basement. At the end, exhausted and in poor shape, the Galran army gathered in front of their building to plainly look at the extent of the damages; the land was all but flat and green, smoke still raising from the previous deflagrations. Mounds of dirt and bodies disturbed the serenity Daibazaal had achieved to find on its fields, and the odour of fire and blood tainted the air of a new era of peace. Trees had fallen, houses had crumbled, ships and weapons laid all around on the ground, dull, inert, but most of the people had survived. And at least, they remained free.

Hunk lent his Lion to join his friends and allies, to mourn with them a part of the Coalition. Adrenaline had left his blood, and now, only the force of his concern sustained his body as he walked forward, watching his friends do the same. Pidge seemed alright, paler, shaken, but not injured, and Shiro had his fists clenched to hold his anger and distress within. Behind the Black Paladin, Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor rushed out of the Lion’s mouth, worry and rage forming the scariest expression Hunk had ever seen on someone’s face.

The Blue Lion was just as lifeless as before without a Paladin to guide it. Instead of letting his gaze linger on it, Hunk turned his look on Red;

Lance’s figure got out of the mouth first, followed closely by Keith, who was watching cautiously, threateningly as they advanced to the crowd. Hunk felt his heart pinch; they couldn’t let their eyes off Haggar only a split second until Lance would come back, because who of them trusted the witch to stay, to keep the universe and their Blue Paladin safe? 

If she fled, their last chance to find back Lance’s consciousness would crumble. 

Hunk saw Shiro walk closer to Keith and murmur something in his ear while discreetly gesturing to Haggar. Keith nodded tiredly and let Shiro take care of the sorceress, looking around only to stop his eyes on a purple figure in the distance. 

All around them, soft conversations and inquiries were going on, but they all stopped abruptly as Keith started running through the crowd, barely taking the time to avoid stepping on another’s foot. Hunk walked over to Pidge who was staring at their leader too, with relief and pain in her glare. They followed Keith’s path only to stop at a respectable distance where Shiro and Haggar joined them, close enough to see the Red Paladin rush to Krolia and jump into her arms;

“Are you alright?” he inquired, voice muffled by his mother’s armour.

Krolia, after a split second of startle, hugged her son back and replied only when they separated, to stare at him in the eyes;

“You shouldn’t have risked your life to come here,” she rebuked gently, before raising her head and looking at them over Keith’s shoulder.

Hunk noticed how her glare immediately stopped on Lance. He couldn’t blame her; turning to his friend, he was repulsed to see the malfeasant glitter that still sparkled in Haggar’s purple eyes. 

Krolia frowned;

“What happened to him?” she asked, trying to whisper subtly to Keith, but they had all been able to hear her words. 

Haggar had too; she smiled, wickedly.

“I was the emperor’s wife, then the new emperor’s mother, and the most powerful sorceress and alchemist of all worlds,” she claimed.

Krolia stiffened brutally;

“Haggar…” she blurted out in a whisper.

But before they could explain, a growl echoed behind them. Turning around, the Paladins realized that the Black Lion had lit up and dispersed a surprised crowd of Galras, head bending towards their small group. Hunk exchanged a quick glance with his friends; had Black felt danger?

The Lion opened its mouth, inviting the Paladins to enter its cockpit. Followed by Haggar, the team and the Galran ladies, Shiro lead the way to the screens, which were glowing, announcing an incoming communication. 

Wary, Shiro turned to them and nodded harshly, a way to tell them to stay alert, before he opened the line. 

“This is the Paladin of the Black Voltron Lion. Who’s there?”

The voice who answered them had lost its enthusiast, its optimism, but it was still just as energetic, as lively as before. With diverse degrees of surprise and joy, the Paladins realized how much they had missed that tone, how grateful they were that it hadn’t faded away forever;

“Well hello Paladins!” Coran exclaimed, seeming pretty extenuated too, but hiding it under a determined tone. “You’ve missed a lot of things back on Altea.”

Against all odds in a moment so dark, chuckles managed to come out of Hunk’s and the rest of his friends’ throat. Relief flooded in their system as Shiro announced:

“You missed a lot of action on our side too, Coran.” Then, his smile becoming anxious, he said: “Do you and the rest of the Alteans need help? Is Romelle alright?”

“I’m fine,” Romelle’s voice came out, and it squeezed their hearts to hear how exhausted it sounded. Romelle had been one to always beam with happiness and positivity. 

But war changes the best of us, Hunk thought sadly. His glance went to Lance, and he brutally remembered his friend had vanished. Haggar was staring at the screen, looking bored and condescending. 

“Most of our people are with us, hidden in the Castle’s haven, as I like to call it,” Coran explained, satisfied to be in the centre of admiration. “The other Alteans can’t reach us with their technologies, but I fear telling you more. Everyday, some of us go undercover, get mixed up with the rest of our people, gather clues and food and…”

“It’s a real tragedy, up there,” Romelle cut through, her tone trembling slightly. “The wicked Alteans have installed a whole slavery work with our people, will to fight gone because of their horrible devices…”

“None of our spies have gotten caught, thankfully, but the situation is still dangerous,” Coran picked up where Romelle had left.

The Paladins were well aware that the man was managing his effect, but they couldn’t help but hanging on his story, a mixture of horror and fascination swirling in their mind.

“They’re building something,” Coran dropped, causing their breath to catch in their throat. “They’re building something, and I’m afraid it can’t be good.”


	8. Just a Part of Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!
> 
> Summer break is coming soon, and I hope I'll find the energy to post every two weeks then! 
> 
> I don't have much to say, except thank you, dear readers, for sticking with me, and I hope you'll enjoy!

“They’re building something, and I’m afraid it can’t be good.”

Their reaction wasn’t really surprise; most of the times and in most of their battles, the Paladins had faced different kinds of machines and robots, or robeasts, but they owned the biggest and most powerful weapon in the universe themselves. Voltron didn’t fear many enemies. 

But this time, it was different: what could possibly require an entire planet to fall into slavery, the most advanced race in their universe not even needing their own will and brilliance to build up a plan for their vile oppressor if not a technology far beyond anything imaginable?  
It wasn’t surprise; it was apprehension. Horror. Dread. They were petrified, vulnerable under a threat they couldn’t avoid nor fight off.

The screen glowed purple, then flickered with white and black, before Coran’s image finally made out. It wasn’t as clear as their technology usually made them, but Hunk figured that Coran and Romelle weren’t using the Castle to communicate with the exterior world. 

Coran and Romelle were covered in scratches, dried blood staining their clothes and their disheveled hair (and moustache). Dark rings surrounded their eyes, eyes strained and dull from the exhaustion of battles. Both seemed to have witnessed a hundred wars, and for the first time, Hunk plainly realized how old they were.

He sent an anxious glance to his friends, but Lance caught his attention: Haggar, who had, until now, worn a contemptuous expression, had straightened up at the mention of the alternate Alteans’ work. Her purple glare glittered with interest and (or at least, to him) greed, as it seemed. For once, the witch couldn’t refrain her urge and, without any remaining of her scornful majesty in her movements, she pushed Shiro out of the way to demand with a slightly mad air:

“What is it that they’re building?”

Coran, who had frowned in front of this unusual attitude from the Blue Paladin, now had his brow furrowed with worry, immediately noticing the vile look that had nothing to do with their friend;

“Lance?” he blurted out, shocked, his image briefly faltering on the screen.

“Coran,” Keith announced bitterly, taking a step forward as a warning for the witch, “this is Haggar.”

For a split second, Coran seemed confused, but then, wrath and desperation struck him, rendering him unable to make a sound other than a weak:

“No…”

Feeling his heart threaten to choke him with tears, Hunk looked away, pained to hear the last bits of resolution and joy in Coran’s voice chatter and vanish. Somewhere within his being, he felt anger bloom and flow, trying to sweep him along in its furious winds and convince him to join its forces. However, despite being aware that those emotions reflected his friends’, he was afraid. Not for himself, but for Lance. 

The witch had too much power over him, too much power over them, and they were helpless. Frustrated.

Haggar hadn’t given much attention to the short conversation; obsessed with her own purpose, she interrupted Coran’s flowing questions and repeated, irritated:

“What it is that they’re building? I need to see it!”

Dumbfounded, not used to hear such disrespect come out of the Blue Paladin’s mouth, Coran stammered, unable to pronounce a coherent sentence, his thoughts probably swirling into an abyss of confusion. But Haggar didn’t have the patience nor the politeness to wait: brutally hitting the control panel with her palms, she escaped Keith’s vigilance and shouted:

“Tell me! Or else your pitiful reality won’t even remember the taste of freedom!”

At that point, Hunk didn’t know if she was talking of the alternate Alteans taking control or threatening Coran. He only recalled following the general movement reaching for the witch, to stop her from breaking the screen or from hurting Lance. 

Pidge’s face had gone pale, eyes wide and afraid of Haggar’s violence, but resolute to keep her friends out of her wrath. Zethrid looked just ready to take out the sorceress with her bare hand, probably making more damage than Haggar herself. Ezor openly wore her disgust while Acxa, more reserved, simply grabbed Lance’s right shoulder to pull him back. Keith’s hand rested on his other shoulder, grasping it, grinding his teeth in an ultimate effort to keep a decent composure. Both he and Shiro, who had rushed forward to face Haggar, shielding the Black Lion’s screens with his own body, seemed to be struggling against an inner force, energy filling them with indignation and rage. 

The Black Lion had two Paladins, after all. And even Hunk could feel, from afar, another consciousness’ fury against such a sinful, immoral magic. 

Ever since Haggar had shown herself, Romelle had stayed frozen, seized with horror, but as she saw the team resist, she hardened her features and inquired, tone harsh:

“What do you intend on doing with this technology?”

As soon as Romelle ended her sentence, Haggar stopped struggling against them and smirked slyly;

“So you think it is a machine, after all?” 

Romelle bit her lip, and her eyes went from Haggar to Coran, and then to the Paladins, unsure if she could reply freely. Weary, Keith nodded once, and he abruptly let go of Lance’s shoulder, as if he realized he was still holding on to the wrong person.

“There were many copies of the plans laying, and one of our spy was foolhardy enough to run off with one,” Romelle finally murmured, disappearing from the screen for a few seconds. The team heard ruffles from the other side, as if she was searching through some papers for the plans, and indeed, when she came back, she was holding a large page, with some fine and precise lines marking pieces of a bigger object; “Of course, the bad Alteans noticed, and now they know there are still some of us around. But we won’t surrender this…”

And, after a last instant of hesitation, she showed them the plan.

Hunk knew he wasn’t as good as Pidge with technologies, but he considered himself close second. Now, however, staring at this intertwinement of lines and schematics, he couldn’t even bring himself to decipher a single piece, a single function. Taking a quick glance at Pidge, he wondered if, behind her furrowed brow and pursed lips, she had a single clue of what the plan represented.

He inhaled sharply and concentrated, squinting, trying to relax his mind. Instead of thinking of a paper, he pictured the sketch like a real life machine. The pieces and functions built up in his head, and, concentrating harder, he was able to make out more than some strange scribble.

The machine, according to the scale, would be pretty gigantic, even bigger than Voltron. Quite large too, with thick foundations made of a material Hunk couldn’t name accurately, but that looked like a mixture of steel and rock.

The foundations, a round platform with a diameter of at least 10 yards, held a pedestal at their centre, a pedestal huge enough for the Atlas to stand on it. Another 10 yards above the pedestal, a cone without a point marked the top of the machine, with no visible support to hold it in the air. Its surface was uniform, apart from thin lines (veins in the metal?) crossing the material. Some part in Hunk’s mind wondered what technology could possibly make a heavy block like this float, but his eyes already wandered on other details.

There were no visible gears nor generating turbine, but the foundations were connected to some kind of tubes, maybe destined to collect a substance placed on the pedestal. The machine must be activated by a much more advanced technology, because as far as Hunk observed, there wasn’t any motor. A single Altean screen, on the base, must be giving access to the whole commands and systems of the machine. 

But the most troubling detail were the huge, intimidating panels, put at the vertical and linked to the top of the machine. Four of them, all of equal size and in equal distance from each other, and, from what Hunk had learnt about technologies, that would rotate at an incredible speed around the empty space between the top and the foundations, and create a dreadful amount of force. It looked like… a centrifuge. 

Hunk didn’t know what the machine was designed for, but the energy it could produce would surely endanger Altea, if not the whole star system, considering the intelligence and the merciless nature of their enemies. And the empty space in the middle of the centrifuge… whatever would be standing would see its life force violently sapped out of its being, killing it in a matter of seconds.

If he made a hypothesis, he’d say the alternate Alteans were creating an even more powerful kind of hoktril. However, he felt like it was too simple, too crude for an advanced race like them. A spiteful people like them. 

Hunk raised his head, and he noticed his team’s puzzled looks. Zethrid and Ezor were whispering in the back, getting impatient, and even though Acxa didn’t participate in their debates, he could guess her nervousness. Krolia, Keith and Shiro were having a silent conversation, and then Keith’s eyes went back to Lance, dark, glum. 

But Pidge seemed unaffected by her teammate’s concern, staring intensely at the plan. Until…

“It looks like a huge generator, or a portal,” she murmured, shocked. 

“Of course it is!” Haggar exclaimed.

Everyone turned towards her. Even Romelle lowered the plan a little, eyes wide in total astonishment. 

Hunk raised an eyebrow: Haggar didn’t seem afraid. Her eyes contradicted her tone: while her shout had seemed frustrated, resigned, a faint glint of felony shone in her glare, the malevolent look of someone keeping the truth for themselves. 

In fact, she seemed almost excited about the machine. Which, considered the threatening nature of it, shouldn’t be the case.

“This machine,” Haggar revealed, nasty glare wandering over all of them, “is the key to widening the tears in our universe. Widening the tears through all realities, until they stretch too much and shred. And thus, collapsing them together, until only one is left, gaining power with the force of all other worlds joining to create one, almighty universe.”

The words were simple enough, but they twisted Hunk’s guts and mind all the same, swirling, briefly touching his senses, before fleeing just out of his reach. But maybe this was for the best: if he even tried to grasp the sentence and all its threat, a weight crashed down on his shoulders, on his heart, and suffocated him with apprehension and despair. 

The whole team, the Galran women and the Altean couple were gaping, assimilating the danger with great difficulty, keeping fear at bay.

It took several seconds of tension, of sticky silence before Zethrid, quickly recovering from the shock, snarled:

“And how would that be possible?!”

“Zethrid,” Acxa started, warning, but her partner cut her short, furious:

“What?! This stupid witch tells us our universe will fall to those cowards and we’ll probably be crushed by some kind of… of magic, and I have to stay quiet?! Waiting for our fate to seal?!”

“That’s not…”

“Then I’m not going to leave until I get answers! Answers and weapons!”

The Galran stomped closer to Haggar, fuming, while the witch didn’t flinch at all, but before they could tear each other down, a small voice raised from the front;

“It’s not magic…”

“What?!” 

No one payed much attention to Zethrid’s shout as they turned to Pidge, who was still staring at the flickering image of the plan. Ezor put a light hand on Zethrid’s shoulder and softly dragged her away from Haggar, patting her back in a comforting gesture. 

“You said we’d be crushed by some kind of magic, however there’s a very scientific explication to this, considering Haggar is right.” 

Pidge turned her back to the screen, head low. She seemed exhausted, dejected.

“The Pauli exclusion principle state it clearly: two identical fermions, or objects, if you prefer, cannot occupy the same quantum state simultaneously. In other words…”

“Only one reality will remain if all collapse together,” Krolia finished her sentence gloomily.

Pidge exchanged a weary look with her.

“Exactly…”

Maybe the whole group didn’t understand quantum physics, but they knew enough of Pidge to realize how serious, how threatening this problem was. How dangerous.

“There is another way to look at it.”

That raspy voice really started to scratch on Hunk’s ears. To squeeze his chest with hatred, to tear him with wrath. 

“The tears need quintessence to obey our will,” Haggar explained, sly grin hideously stretching Lance’s features, and no one thought about correcting her when she included them in her own desire. “But for a project of such a large scale? Their own, pathetic quintessence wouldn’t be enough.”

She pushed Pidge out of the way, ignoring the Paladins’ warning looks, and walked towards the screen, making Romelle flinch as she noticed Lance’s eyes;

“They would need to draw quintessence out of an important source, with those pieces of the machine,” the witch noted, gesturing at the panels.

Centrifuge, Hunk thought. Rotating around an object, sapping its force and filling the veins and tubes with the quintessence it collected. 

“But only that wouldn’t do anything, or at least, none achieving their final purpose. Those Alteans would need an inter reality material to open a rift big enough between universes to lure them together.”

The witch raised an eyebrow, waiting for the obvious conclusion.

“An object with both extreme quintessence and made of an inter reality material,” Hunk choked out, struck with terror and bitterness. “That can only mean…”

“Voltron. They want Voltron.”

Shiro was pale, in a daze, but it didn’t refrain his voice to tremble a little in his last words. It hit all of them that not only their universe could be living its last moments, but that they would be the cause of its fall. If they were captured, then no one would be able to stop their reality from burning into ashes. 

If. Only if. They had to harden their determination, to gather their courage, and to face the alternate Alteans once and for all, strike them with all their might and the power of their Coalition. 

Hunk straightened his shoulders and raised his chin, a memory of Shay’s giggle under the sunset giving him strength, hope for their future. Looking round, he noticed that Keith had done the same, but wasn’t staring in the void; no, Keith wouldn’t hang on to a memory when his universe was on the edge to crumble. Especially when his universe was right in front of him.

Haggar turned Lance’s back to them, and this view was the only one the Paladins could imagine everything to be alright. A view without the crazed eyes, the purple glint, the cursed voice. Simply the back of their Blue Paladin’s head. 

“Is there a solution?” 

Hunk was surprised to hear himself ask, almost beg Haggar. He loathed her so much, but right now, she was the only one who could help them. As long as she was true to her words, which he doubted. 

The witch turned her eyes to him, satisfied to feel their helplessness;

“Scaultrite.” The hard blue cookies flashed within Hunk’s head, and he felt guilty to have to refrain a smile. “With scaultrite, we could change the system and functions of the machines, thus turning it into our advantage.”

Pidge chewed her lip, and then said on a hesitant tone:

“I don’t think the clandestine Alteans have access to scaultrite. Right, Coran?”

They turned to the screen, image of Coran and Romelle glitching more and more, and they heard a muffled reply:

“Right, number 5, I’m afraid scaultrite is out of our reach.”

Haggar didn’t look discouraged, only impatient;

“Then let’s get to your planet! You work with tight commercial bonds with the Alteans, and even started using their technologies with your own. Surely, you must own a reserve of scaultrite somewhere.”

Hunk wished he could contradict her. Something was not right in her plan; it was unnecessarily overcomplicated. But, as he recalled bitterly, he was the one having brought this upon them. He had to deal with it.

At the same time, his heart pinched painfully as he realized how Haggar’s grasp on Lance seemed to grow stronger, more abusive. She now had access to his memories, and what else?

“So now you agree to go back to Earth?” Keith hissed between his teeth.

“Scaultrite is what we need for the machine,” Haggar repeated, too eagerly to hide her avidity.

The Paladins exchanged dry glances, reluctant to admit they didn’t have a better plan. But suddenly, Keith’s frustration exploded;

“How do you know all that anyway?!” he blurted out, tone ablaze with anger.

Haggar looked down on him;

“Sometimes, you had to be a villain to understand the villains,” she said, as if she was challenging him to ask further questions.

The screen started to beep rapidly, a sound so similar to an alarm that everyone jumped and frantically looked around. But on the other side, Coran and Romelle simply glared at them, resigned, and got closer to the screen;

“It is the first time we try Romelle’s communicator,” Coran whispered loudly, while he searched for their device’s system. “Her brother hadn’t included an option to get an image of the reception, so we’ve worked on it a little bit, but, well… I’m afraid it can’t hold any longer.”

“Wait, will the line be intercepted by the alternate Alteans?” Pidge inquired, worried.

Coran winked at them, a smug grin stretching his lips:

“Of course not! Their intelligence only go as far as what they know, and Bandor was brilliant enough to invent this thingy from scratch!”

The beeping intensified, and suddenly Romelle seemed concerned;

“We have to go, now.” She stared at them, smiling slightly before warning them again: “Do not try to contact us, or you will give away our location. We will collect as much information as we can on this machine and will reach to you once there is something to tell.”

“Farewell, now, Paladins!” Coran exclaimed, waving, and the screen went black.

 

The Galras were a race with thousands of years of practice and experience at war, and they knew how to get back up after a particularly intense battle. It didn’t feel like they’d been inside the Black Lion more than an hour, but as Shiro blinked rapidly in front of the sunlight, he realized the lands were already cleared from most of the debris. The Galran bodies were reunited in a common grave, which had been dug not too far from the headquarters, and their enemies were tossed inside a large and deep hole without much fuss. Reparations in the village and headquarters had even started, young and old, men and women all helping to build back their houses.

Shiro stared for a moment, impressed but regretting Daibazaal’s efficiency at the same time, and he noticed Krolia’s glare: looking in the distance, her eyes were hard, determined, and most of all, full of grudge at the beings who had ruined all she had worked so hard to achieve. And he couldn’t help but find, in some part of his mind, a fury that mirrored her own outrage, her own sorrow. 

But she wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t fall to pieces, at least not here, not now, when her whole world looked up to her. And in this way, she was so similar to Keith. Or maybe Keith had learnt from her. For the best or the worst.

The Red Paladin was standing still, stiff, not so far from Shiro. His lips were tightened around the words he feared to let out, frowning, eyes luring all the horror into his dark glare as a fuel for his mind to fire the rage that kept him going. Because once the fire would die out, the landscape would be grey and dull, full of ashes that would dry his throat and wet his cheeks with the remaining pain of what had burnt.

Now that Daibazaal had seen the enemies they’d be dealing with, they agreed to wormhole Voltron to Earth within the shortest delay possible: before sunset. Haggar had wrinkled Lance’s nose with disdain, but hadn’t said anything, which had been the wisest decision she could have made, given how it had drawn Keith’s flared up eyes on her. Shiro didn’t wish to encourage his teammates to fight among their own team, and especially not against their corrupted friend, but to be honest, Haggar seemed to arouse the ugliest, craziest impulses in him, impulses he had never had before. 

And it scared him, more than all the curses she could cast. How could he lead a war if he couldn’t even control his mind?

Which brought him back to Lance; Haggar’s consciousness was settling in his body, and they didn’t know how much time they had left until Lance would be irrecoverable. They couldn’t even refer to Shiro’s case, since, technically, Shiro had died and his consciousness had been transferred from his Lion to his clone’s body. Which had been done thanks to Haggar’s error and Allura’s quintessence.

But now, they owned neither one nor the other. And the incertitude of wether or not Lance would ever come back to them choked their usually rational mystery solving. 

And Shiro saw how it consumed Keith. How thin his resolution, his courage grew. How close he was to break down. Even if he wouldn’t do it in front of them. 

Keith would crumble slowly, too slowly for anyone to notice at first. Even himself. He would hide his decrepitude behind recklessness, behind a mask of coldness and ferocity, and fall all over again. The storm he tried so desperately to shut down would skin his whole structure, burn his sanity and health, and the joy, the openness, the life Shiro had done everything to light when he had first seen him as a poor orphan would get lost in an ocean of madness.

He took a sharp breath and realized his glare had drifted to the Red Paladin. Despair squeezed his heart as he witnessed the way Keith discreetly glanced at Lance, when he thought no one was looking: the wrench of a lost child, the tearing pain of a man who has seen too much, and the silent but desperate plea of a fighter tired of shielding his heart. 

For the rest of the day, the Paladins found little tasks to do, but it soon occurred to them their help was no longer required on Daibazaal. The Galras were ferocious, and they didn’t need to cry long. 

Maybe it was another reason why Keith didn’t want to unleash his tears, Shiro thought. He couldn’t lose his people like he already had lost his family, like he was losing himself.

Close to him, Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor were debating loudly wether or not they should come with the team. While Zethrid shouted they should fight for their lands, Acxa seemed to try and explain her how their assistance would be of a better help on Earth than where the defences were already settled. Keith was speaking with his mother, privately, and often scanning their surroundings with a threatening spark in his eyes that grew brighter as soon as they’d fall on Haggar. Haggar, who was looking at the work from above, restlessly going back and forth, but in a movement that seemed more… nervous, than impatient?

After a few seconds of curious observation, Shiro realized the witch seemed to constantly fight off some kind of ticks, like short spasms through her hands and shoulder. And as soon as she would stop moving, she would tightened her grip around Lance’s hands, panting slightly, quickly turning her head in all directions to make sure no one had seen her struggle. It was as if she wasn’t used to the body she occupied. 

Shiro felt his heart light up a little in a flicker of hope. His urge to go back to Earth, even though, technically, it wouldn’t change anything in their situation, grew bigger, and he caught himself longing for his husband’s embrace, his reassuring, grounding hand against his flesh, and the promise of safety, of a haven where his fears would abandon him, even for one minute.

“Is your team ready to leave?”

Shiro jumped slightly and he quickly turned around, as if he had been caught red-handed staring, and struggled hiding the flood of emotions that flashed before his eyes. However, he let out, through his composure of confidence, a discreet sigh of relief when he came face to face with Krolia.

He hadn’t spent much time with her, but he had known, just by the way she spoke to him, that Keith had told her a lot about their special brotherhood. Shiro deeply admired her, for her strength, her boldness and her tenacity, even though, against his will, a faint remaining grudge was sown in his mind, grudge against the abandon of a child.

But he knew it was absurd; ever since Keith and Krolia had reunited, Krolia had done everything in order to fill the years long hole her absence had left in her son’s heart. Even though she hadn’t wished for it.

Shiro bent his head at her choice of words, hesitated;

“Technically, it’s your son’s team,” he corrected, smile almost sorry. 

Krolia nodded slowly, but then whispered:

“I don’t think my son has the mind to lead right now.”

Dejection weighted down Shiro’s heart, but he hid it the best he could. Brow furrowed with concern, he still offered Krolia a slight smile, a little bitter, but he saw how strained her features were. She was the mother of a Paladin, a warrior, but worrying for her child would send her into an endless spiral of despair and anxiety. She was a mother, but also a leader and a warrior herself. 

At last, she nodded again, solemnly this time, knowing Shiro would understand her struggle.

“I can’t imagine how much support you gave him in his youth,” she told him, gesturing to Keith behind them. 

Keith, now that he was alone, had his head low, eyes lost into space, and air sadder than ever.

“You were a better family to him than I could ever have been.” Krolia continued, turning back to Shiro, and for the first time since she worked with them, her tone became almost pleading: “Again, history is repeating itself; I can’t come with you, so I will ask you, Shiro: please, look out for him. He’s falling, and I don’t want to leave my son while there’s no one to catch him.”

Shiro’s emotions reflected her fear, her reluctance, and he wished he could promise her Keith would be fine. But hadn’t they thought Lance would be fine too?

“We’re all looking after him,” he assured.

Pidge and Hunk were walking towards them, apparently into a quiet conversation, and Shiro didn’t miss the side glances they sent in Keith’s and Lance’s direction. As the place got more and more crowded after the day’s work, Haggar found back her high and scornful glare, however careful to keep Lance’s hands clasped against his chest. From time to time, ticks agitated his eyes, and Haggar’s glare would flare up with a well hidden fury.

Krolia stared at him, and as Shiro replied with all sincerity and loyalty he was capable of, the tension in her shoulders was partly relieved. And again, for the first time since he knew her, she smiled, tiredly, sadly, but still gratefully;

“Thank you,” she mouthed, incapable of making a sound.

They stood side to side for an instant, their glare going to Keith, until…

“You know, in another reality, maybe they would finally get to be a couple.”

Shiro’s heart started beating faster, but he wasn’t sure if he and Krolia were thinking of the same people.

“You mean…” he said, hesitantly.

Krolia, unimpressed by his game, retorted while gesturing with her chin:

“With the right shades of blue and red, purple is a great colour.”

Farther, Keith had been brought out of his daze by his partner’s debate, and his eyes, abruptly snapping back to dark resolution, immediately found Lance’s figure. In response, Haggar stared back at him, smirking viciously.

Shiro felt a lump form within his throat, and he couldn’t decide if it was a chuckle or a sob;

“I’ll make sure that, as soon as we find Lance’s consciousness, purple will bloom,” he claimed softly, determination flooding his heart. “In this reality.”

 

The Voltron Lions had been put inside a huge Galran ship, one of those that used a technology similar to the wormhole. Shiro, the Paladins, Haggar and Keith’s team were on the main bridge, with the commander and his crew, waiting for the takeoff with a faint nervousness hanging in the air. Krolia had told her goodbyes when she had decided her planet needed her for future assaults, and sent them off to the first ship to leave Daibazaal. Along with the Lions, it held several resources for Olkarion, with whom the Galras would now ally.

Shiro tried not to think about the repercussions of their war declaration on the Earth. The Garrison would prepare the people for the battles, and even though the citizens had been used to extraterrestrial species in the past couple years, their intentions would set a general panic throughout the planet. He tried not to think about Curtis, who would fight with them, to the danger he brought upon his loved ones, to the damages the Earth would sustain. He tried not to think about Lance’s distress, lost somewhere inside his own body, about Keith’s melancholy, losing hope to win their struggle, about the whole team’s despair, scared and vulnerable. He tried not to think at all.

“Ready for takeoff?” 

The control tower had opened a line with their ship. The Galra’s serious tone fitted well with the threat of their situation, but Shiro pushed it away.

“Ready for takeoff.”

“Takeoff in five, four…”

Unlike last time, the Paladins didn’t join their voice to the numbers blared into the intercom. Maybe they lacked the energy, and probably because they missed the most enthusiastic tone of all.

They felt the ship vibrate under their feet as the thrusters lit up, and soon, they elevated high enough for them to observe Daibazaal in its whole. And soon, the planet became a tiny dot in the darkness of their universe.

“This is it,” Shiro thought.

He approached the commander and gave him the Earth’s coordinates. The wormhole’s technology was powered up, and he bowed his head to the Galra, in a small grateful gesture. 

As Shiro walked back to his seat, he noticed Lance’s face. Haggar’s expression. Her eyes had lost most of their wicked glittering, wide and blind to the actions around them, and Lance’s usually caramel complexion had turned pale, whole face covered with a cold sweat. Shiro frowned, and then he was struck with terror;

“Wait!” he shouted to the commander, but the wormhole’s process was already too far in. 

The Paladins blurted out concerned exclamations, and Keith was getting up when the ship brutally accelerated, passing through the barrier of quintessence defining the wormhole. Shiro was hurled backwards, and he let out a wince of pain and despair. 

The passage through the Galran wormhole was harsher than the Altean’s; the air around them suddenly became heavier, every noise vibrated inside their core and the whole ship trembled violently. But none of these reactions were wrong, except…

As abruptly as it had entered, the ship came out of the wormhole into a familiar star system. The Galras started cheering, but all sounds were cut short by a wrenching scream.

History was repeating itself.

“No, no, NO!”

Keith was the first one at Lance’s side, but the other Paladins quickly rushed after him. Apprehending, Shiro gloomily walked closer to the small crowd around Haggar; Lance’s eyes were closed, his body stiff, still sat down on his seat, ran through with shudders, head was hanging low. But worse than that, his Altean marks had stopped glowing purple. They had stopped glowing at all.

In front of him, Keith knelt down, hands grabbing Lance’s shoulders and shaking him lightly, murmuring incoherent pleas for his friend to wake up. Hunk had his hands on his ears, eyes closed tightly, rocking back and forth and whimpering soft: no no no no no… Pidge, at the opposite, couldn’t stop staring, tensed, anxiously waiting for a reaction.

Some Galras came to them, but they left without answers. So the ship kept going towards the Earth, atmosphere going from heavy to unbearably silent. 

“The quintessence,” Keith said in a broken whisper. “We should have known the quintessence would do that to him…”

Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, aware no words would ever comfort him. 

After long minutes of growing worry and choking fear, Lance’s body straightened up, eyes opening brutally, a sparkle of malice back in the purple light. The markings’ glow came back.

Haggar looked at them, an infinite loathe and madness piercing her glare. Her fury was so palpable that they all took a step back, against their will and under the Galras’ murmurs. Keith’s jaw and fists were clenched, and his eyes contained at least as much wrath as Haggar’s. 

History would repeat itself.

 

The Galran commander told them farewell abroad the ship and let them fly their Lions to the Earth. They had other planets to rescue. 

Keith hadn’t been able to utter a word, and as soon as it had been politically correct to leave, he had stomped off to Red, followed by a little more cautious team, three Galran women and one witch inside the body of a Paladin. And now, in the tensed silence, Shiro couldn’t pick out wether he preferred to hear Keith’s rage or to feel it flare within his being. Neither of them were good for the war, for logic and feelings couldn’t mix with each other in a leader’s judgment.

But even Shiro couldn’t help it: as soon as they landed, a crowd of pilots and engineers came out to greet them, mouth falling open with wonder and astonishment in front of the five Voltron Lions, who no one had heard about since the end of the war, and within the small people, a figure stood out to his eyes. Heart beating faster, Shiro rushed out of Black’s mouth, under an appreciative purr, and while the other Paladins came out of their Lions, he jumped in Curtis’ arms, open to welcome him back home. 

Against his cheek, he felt his husband’s soft chuckle, and he clasped him tighter against his chest, as much to protect him from the world as to feel a piece of haven on his heart.

“You’re tensed,” Curtis simply stated. 

Shiro sighed, but he wasn’t ready to answer.

“I know, because you never hug me with your synthetic arm,” Curtis continued with a soft voice, inviting Shiro to open up. “You say it’s impersonal. But now, you do. What has changed?”

Shiro opened his eyes and realized his robotic arm was indeed around his husband’s waist. Looking down, he let go a little to face Curtis, resigned, but he didn’t need to speak: Curtis’ eyes had wandered farther in the crowd, and he noticed the Paladin’s alarmed expressions and Keith’s crew armed and prepared for war. He turned his glare back to Shiro and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

 

A light mist still clouded his vision. Anger. Desperation. Horror. Guilt. Sorrow. All came tugging his heart, restlessly, hurling him back into an endless daze of hopelessness as soon as his mind tried to shake itself out of this fog.

Worst of all, he was well aware that, in this state, he couldn’t help anybody. He only saw, through his blurry vision, the Garrison people exchanging worried glances and anxious whispers as the officers brought Shiro inside the building. Mechanically, he made as if to follow him, but Shiro mouthed: “stay here with the others”, before addressing quick words to the officers and gesturing to Lance. Haggar, head high to avoid another humiliation, followed them on a deliberately slow pace. 

Apparently, they didn’t have the clearance to go in, but the witch did.

Keith stared at the scene, anger boiling in his core. As Shiro was brought away with Haggar, Keith noticed the MFE pilots passing through the crowd and then scanning the situation with their eyes, stupefied to be left behind. 

Rizavi, curious and lively as she was, immediately frowned and bent over to Kinkade to question him excitedly, but Kinkade simply nodded in acknowledgment, sweeping over their surroundings and barely glancing at the Lions. Leifsdottir, however, didn’t look anywhere but at the beasts, not even blinking, completely immobile but her eyes, analyzing the ships. Next to her, Griffin observed carefully the crowd, smiling politely in response of the salutes. His gaze stopped on the Lions, and then he squinted, before searching for something else. As they fell on Keith, the Red Paladin quickly turned his head away. However, he was sure he had noticed a cold inquiry in the pilot’s eyes.

When Shiro was gone, Pidge and Hunk walked closer to Keith with interrogative glares while, behind him, Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor shuffled uncomfortably. They didn’t know how to answer the questions, or if they replied at all. Keith noticed the slight dejection in their expression, and couldn’t help but feel the same.

“What do we do?” Pidge asked, anxiously scanning the crowd. 

“I don’t know,” Keith thought, helpless.

But instead, he mumbled:

“Go inside and don’t reveal too much. Shiro’s with the Garrison, and we wouldn’t want to set off a general panic before we could even build up a plan.”

His teammates sent him worried looks, but, to his relief, they didn’t contradict his demand. Hunk patted his shoulder, and then lead the way inside the Garrison, dragging his crew with Pidge and him. Offhandedly, Keith felt gratefulness flood his being; his friends had understood he needed some time alone.

He stayed still an instant, and then, ignoring the fusing questions all around him, he made his way through the crowd, choking under the noises, wishing with all his might to escape this reality, even for a few minutes. Just like a burn on the back of his neck, he felt eyes following him all the way until he closed the doors behind him.

Wandering alone through the corridors, the image of Lance, pale and lifeless, not responding to his calls, made its way through and assaulted his mind. He tried to push it away, but it always came back, along with fear and rage, sowing despair in his being, a despair that would bloom into something darker, consuming. He suddenly felt so far from only a week before, when he and Lance were talking and sharing on his dinner table, or a few days back, when they had stood so close he could practically lean in and… 

It didn’t matter, now. Lance’s pure, hopeful blue was gone to an avid, malevolent purple. Where were his beam, his laugh, his excitement, his enthusiasm so infectious it made Keith’s heart dance in his chest, rendering him helpless, flustered, but smiling back?

He shook his head. Tightening his eyelids together, he dispelled his thoughts with great effort, for they would only bring in more distress, more desperation. Then, stopping abruptly in his pace, he realized his steps had brought him to the meeting room, within which Shiro and Haggar were exposing their situation to the officers.

Keith let himself fall heavily on the steps behind, frustrated, and then he grabbed his hair, bringing his knees closer to his chest, struggling to inhale and exhale normally. For a moment, he could only hear his ragged breathing, too close to sobs for his own comfort, filling his whole mind and darkening the world around his eyes, but then, after a vague amount of time, his vision got clearer. Some muffled voices got to his ears through the doors, proof of the incoherent conversation going on in the room.

Raising his head to look up at the ceiling, he took a deep but sharp breath, blinking rapidly to dispel his tears, closing his eyes to find back a decent composure. Exhaustion strained his lucidity as he struggled to keep his mind out of reach from his overwhelming emotions, emotions that seemed to rise and ebb with the tide of his thoughts. 

After a while, he heard footsteps getting closer and stopping right next to him. And, from the corner of his eye, he made out a figure wearing the Garrison uniform. A man. Lacking the strength and the motivation to avoid this encounter, Keith laboriously raised his head, weariness weighing down his eyelids, as James Griffin waited for him to speak first.

It was the first time they were truly alone together. In their youth, they had had too similar and yet distinct nature to get along with each other. For their case, it was all or nothing. And they had chosen all… all loathing rivalry.

In Voltron’s war, they hadn’t had much other choice than to ally, and both of them had more important things to care for than some ridiculous grudge. But they hadn’t actually come to terms with each other afterwards, and even now, Keith was still confused about the reason they had started their aversion at the beginning. True, they hadn’t gotten along, and yes, Keith admitted that punching somebody wasn’t the best way to make friends, but could it explain why Griffin glared at him with a mixture of haughtiness and disgust in his eyes? Or why the atmosphere would always freeze as soon as they were both in the same place?

Some ridiculous rivalry?

Rivalry… The word stung too much for Keith to hold on to it, to think further about their case. He was exhausted, exhausted to ponder, exhausted to feel. Why couldn’t the world just stop turning, for even an instant, for him to breathe truly?

He bore Griffin’s glare for long seconds, without any trace of stubbornness or challenge in his look, simply a silent plea to be left alone. James was staring back at him, wondering what mockery hid behind the Paladin’s lifeless mask. 

At some point, the silence got too thick, too tricky. Keith’s throat was dry, full of the cries he couldn’t let go, and he feared taking the risk to talk, preferring to be assaulted of a million insults rather than having to speak a single truth. And that was how young Keith differed with his older self: he knew he didn’t have to fight for himself. Others were worth more to protect.

And maybe Griffin was startled by his dampened recklessness, by this refusal of a challenge. But he didn’t let it through. Instead, he sighed and muttered:

“Can’t come back without bringing trouble, eh? Middle of a war, and under the spotlight.”

Keith shrugged, his movement limp, without any willpower. The words swirled in his fogged mind, floated an instant in the storm, before they weighted on his consciousness. He didn’t look any better than if he had a hoktril implanted in his neck.

“What, brooding because you weren’t invited to the adult’s table?” Griffin said a little louder, words tainted with bitterness. “That must be painful…”

“Go away, please…”

His retort hadn’t been stronger than a murmur, contradicting the meaning he wished to tell. It wasn’t rude, it wasn’t harsh; a soft demand, words usually intending to command authority, but a plea nonetheless. 

The lump got bigger in his throat, and he gave up on keeping his composure: he didn’t look like the Red Paladin, leader of Voltron. Simply a young man, scared, hopeless, depressed.

Griffin frowned; for sure, he must have sensed Keith wasn’t in the mood to be taunted right now. But the man wasn’t docile either: instead of fading away in the shadows, he came even closer and sat down next to Keith. The Paladin didn’t have the strength to resist anyways.

“Why are you not with them?” Griffin’s tone still held a trace of irony, but it was mainly curiosity. And resignation? “I thought you were Commander Shirogane’s favourite, not the Blue Paladin…”

“Lance is not himself,” Keith cut short his mockery, pain violently rising within his being and flooding his whole mind, burning his senses, leaving him shivering, empty, weak. “With him like that… None of us would… none of us could…” He inhaled sharply, repressing his distress. “Shiro is better off to take decisions without us…”

Griffin blinked several times, taken by surprise. 

“Oh,” he finally choked out. 

The tapping of his hands against his thighs was the only noise breaking the otherwise unbearable silence. Muffled sounds of a fervid discussion got to them through the door, manifesting of the intensity of the debate. Was their true Lance witnessing all of that, simply unable to be heard? Terrified about his fate, decided by others than him as if he wasn’t existing? 

“I hated you, you know?” Griffin suddenly said, causing Keith to furrow his brows. “I had one dream: to become a hero. Inspired by none other than the great officer Shirogane himself!”

Keith smiled inwardly: how many lives had Shiro shaped without even knowing?

“And one day, I got a chance: Mr. Takashi Shirogane himself came recruiting boys and girls like me, who hoped to change our world!” Keith turned his head, interest vaguely piqued, but wondering why Griffin was telling him all of that. “I was literally thrilled! Ready to do anything, just to get noticed for my passion, my ideas, my will, or whatever, to get noticed by my hero…”

Keith didn’t have much force, but a distant part of his mind knew what was to come. And almost apprehended it.

Griffin sighed again, this time without any hint of sarcasm;

“But, well, I guess my place wasn’t in his light… More in someone else’s shadow…” 

He glared at Keith, directly in his eyes, and Keith didn’t have the strength to look away.

“No matter how hard-working I was, how brilliant, how determined, he only had eyes for you. And it pained me, hurted me, to see all my efforts crumble in front of your impulsive, condescending piloting. I was constant, doing everything I was told, trying my hardest to follow our officer’s footsteps, but I simply wasn’t ‘the best’ like you…”

Keith remained quiet, but a hint of sympathy tugged his heart, and he didn’t want to excuse his only mentor, brother figure and friend for looking out for him all that time, but he gracefully lowered his head in front of Griffin’s resolution, even after all these years.

“But I swallowed down my jealousy, my disappointment, and continued to fight nonetheless,” he went on, a bit of pride and satisfaction in his tone. “And one day, your temper, your effrontery became too important for the Garrison to close its eyes anymore, and hope came back. I had officially become the best fighter pilot in our year, I had a chance, right?”

Griffin turned his head away, scoffing.

“Officer Shirogane went off for the Kerberos mission, and was announced dead. I figured I had better to do than to feel sorry for myself, that I had to fight so no more good people would be killed looking for the truth.”

Keith had to admit that Griffin had been all but lucky, and a taste of guilt started to mix with the compassion: if he had been more open, things could have turned out better for the young man. 

“Over the years, I realized how much people looked out to me, even if my hero hadn’t. And when the Galras arrived, I gained that title myself. Along with teammates who were like a family to me. It may seem like I was looking for glory, but when the real danger threatened our world, I only fought for the lives of billions of innocent citizens. Our planet wouldn’t fall to those beings.”

“Then we came back, and you were seeing all your accomplishment threatened again by some mystic legend who had never come to help the Earth when you needed it the most,” Keith realized, thinking back at how much suspicion, how much defiance there had first been in the MFE’s pilots’ eyes.

Griffin smirked, bitter and satisfied;

“Exactly,” he let out, but this time, it wasn’t out of loathe of Keith’s person. He seemed almost… pitying? “We stayed and fought when you didn’t, at least they knew who to trust.”

A weak wave of outrage rose within Keith’s being before immediately fading away; the Earth hadn’t heard their version of the facts. Of course, the Garrison must have felt betrayed! Their own people, turning their back to fight for other foreign races before coming to save them?

Griffin turned back his head, and when he looked at Keith, there wasn’t that same wrath in his eyes anymore. Simply resignation, and acceptance. Something Keith had never been able to do: give up.

“Maybe I had missed my chance again,” Griffin murmured. “Maybe I hadn’t been next to officer Shirogane, maybe I had never been more than another soldier in the war, but I didn’t need it. I gave up on trying to shine in front of his eyes, because I already shone in front of others’. I didn’t need him to like me, simply a few good persons, and I had them: Kinkade, Rivazi, Leifsdottir… I gave up on trying too hard for him, and I gave up on hating you.”

At that point, Keith brutally rose his head to face his rival, startled, hesitant, but then he saw James’s slight smile. Not a haughty, smug smile, nor a cold, impertinent smile, nor a polite, strained smile; it was genuine, as an equal. And maybe it was all that James had asked for: an equal. 

“I feel like I owe you an apology as well,” Keith said softly after a few seconds, and to his own surprise, he truly meant his words. “I was too wrapped into my own anger, my own condescending talent that I acted like a real jerk towards you… and pretty much everyone, except Shiro.”

James had a little nod on the side in agreement, but then he let out a small chuckle. Keith looked at him, almost relieved, before going on;

“I was hotheaded, stubborn as hell, and most of all, lonely. I didn’t really know how to act around others, so I figured the best way to be respected was if I acted like I knew everything. If I intimidated them enough so they would leave me alone.”

“It did work out, though,” James interrupted, a teasing smirk stretching his lips.

Keith grinned, and shook his head;

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t the best way to bond with others either.” His heart pinched as he pronounced the last words, and he promptly continued: “But I thought I was invincible, unbreakable, and that I didn’t need anybody else.”

“That didn’t work out.”

The two men let out something like a snicker, uneasy, hesitant, but it healed some of the hole of wrath both of them had dug, for very different reasons. Keith sighed, but then, he had a flash:

“Oh, and I’m sorry I punched you.”

James frowned, and then burst out laughing, a little condescending, but way more friendly than he would have some time ago.

“Worse things came punching me in the following years, so I kind of forgive you for that one.”

Keith’s lips stretched, slowly, into a slight, bitter smile, but as he opened his mouth to reply, the sounds of steps and joyous conversations reached their ears from the other side of the corridor. Keith listened attentively, but then his eyes widened with horror as he recognized some of the voices; brutally getting up, much to James’ stupefaction, he turned around, brow furrowed as he prepared himself to receive… the McClains.

Veronica, looking, as always, confident and a little nonchalant, walked on the front of the group, determined in her pace. Lance’s nephews, Sylvio and Nadia, gleefully capered around their aunt as their parents kept an eye on them, the other following the conversation. Lance’s mother was there as well, although she seemed a little stressed; Keith noticed how she nervously looked around, and he wondered what kind of motherly power she had to feel the danger so close to her son.

Lance had two other siblings, but they didn’t show up. Already overwhelmed with their number, Keith didn’t know if he felt relieved that the whole family wasn’t there, but he didn’t have time to linger on it long; the kids spotted him and they beamed, before starting to run in his direction exclaiming “Keith! Keith!” so excitedly his heart pinched at the idea to ruin the moment. 

The rest of the family offered him gigantic smiles (which he had great difficulty to give back) and, as they arrived at his level, greeted him as an old friend.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow!” Luis, one of Lance’s brother, said with a grin.

“I… I know…” Keith managed to choke out, trying to relax the tension in his shoulders. 

Lance’s mother then raised her hands to shush the family and made a few steps forward to face Keith. Smiling warmly, she inquired: 

“Well, did you have a good time, dear?” 

Usually, Keith would back up if someone was so close to him. He would avert their eyes, would run away. But now, if he looked behind, he would see James half way up, frowning in interrogation. And the gentle, soft look in Seleste’s eyes, the affection, the sincerity, made him taste the guilt of not bringing back her son.

But it also gave him the desire to speak, to open up, as if all his secrets would be safely locked in her motherly heart. 

Lowering his head, he swallowed the cowardice that made him want to run away and, broken, murmured:

“Something happened to Lance…” 

One second passed. Two. Lance’s mother, Seleste, had turned pale, unable to pronounce a word, and the others had gathered around, pressing him with questions. 

Then, there was a strangled yelp, coming from behind them; everyone abruptly stopped talking and turned around, in the meeting room’s direction. Keith saw James already reaching out to the handle, when loud and rapid steps were heard from the other side of the door, which opened brutally. 

Shiro scanned the scene; James, Keith, and Lance’s family, all watching him quiet, concerned and inquiring. Swallowing laboriously, he finally nodded and said:

“Get the others. Quick! We’ve got a problem.”

 

Pidge was sitting down in the Garrison’s lounge with Rizavi, Kinkade and Leifsdottir when Griffin rushed in. After the war, the Holts had been assigned to raise the next generation of defenders of the universe, and the MFE pilots had been the first people she’d worked with. They were good fighters, sly, intelligent, eager to learn and full of energy and motivation. If the other Paladins had political bonds with them, Pidge, her, had gotten closer and considered them as partners, and even friends.

And they made a good team; with four quite different personalities, they complemented each other and formed a united, strong and powerful group. Rizavi’s flowing conversation filled Kinkade’s lack of words, Leifsdottir’s logic completed Griffin’s active side. And even though they all possessed different kinds of energy, Pidge had had a lot of pleasure working with them.

After Shiro had gone to the meeting, Hunk had been eager to find Shay and make sure she was alright, and the Galran squad didn’t make good companions, at least, for casual talks. Pidge understood them: among a foreign race, they preferred to stick together, and it was normal, except Pidge now found herself alone.

But Rizavi, pushing through the crowd, had called her and immediately asked her tons of questions: how they had found the Lions, what had happened for their leader to ask an urgent meeting, why the Blue Paladin’s eyes and marks glowed purple… As Pidge had struggled to answer the best she could without giving too much information, Griffin had excused himself and left in the opposite direction. Leifsdottir showed (only in appearance) little interest to the conversation while Kinkade listened with an imperturbable expression, unlike Rizavi, who gasped and exclaimed, as expressive as she was.

Which had lead them here. In the lounge. To Griffin’s staggering arrival.

“The commander Shirogane needs all the Paladins and MFEs,” he announced, panting.

Pidge got up, worried;

“But… Is everything alright?” 

Griffin stared at her, managing his effect.

“Only the commander can tell us all that,” he replied on a low, but powerful tone.

They promptly reacted, leaving the relaxing atmosphere behind. Several officers and lower graded cadets bustled in the corridors, an invisible threat hanging in the air as the MFEs and Pidge walked past them, their agitation increasing with the general nervousness. When they reached the meeting room, Pidge stopped dead in her tracks: backs turned to her, the McClains were gesticulating anxiously to an overwhelmed Keith, who nodded and let out uneasy but soft replies, genuinely shocked and pained by what had happened to Lance. His eyes caught Pidge’s glance and she smiled bitterly, as an encouragement as well as a representation of their helplessness. 

But to her surprise, Keith invited the family to come in the room. Maybe he had waited for everyone to be there, or maybe he didn’t have the strength to refuse anymore. Either way, Pidge felt her heart squeeze as she followed them, head low, and heard their distressed gasp of desperation.

Hunk was already there when they walked in, and he waved at her, until his gesture stiffened as he noticed Lance’s family. Around the table, all the seats were occupied, making it more than a dozen officers and commanders observing the scene. Among them, Curtis and Iverson were standing up, greeting the newcomers with a solemn nod. 

Pidge’s father and brother were present too, and they gave her a tired smile, full of relief and worry. Matt even wiggled his eyebrows at her, but Pidge couldn’t laugh: from Lance’s place, Haggar’s glare had fell on the family, cold and avid, a vile grin present somewhere in the vicious mask that had replaced Lance’s cheerful features. The McClains, unsure and hesitating, didn’t fully grasp the curse behind the Blue Paladin’s expression, but they surely didn’t recognized Lance within those eyes.

Standing close to the door, Shiro gave a quick glance to the kids as they passed, but he didn’t reject their presence. Apparently, he felt like they deserved the right to know where was their real uncle at that moment.

For an instant, silence weighted on the already tensed atmosphere. But then, Lance’s mother made as if to advance towards her son, one hand on the heart, the other trembling as it reached out in front of her. But Keith stopped her; gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and told her:

“You shouldn’t go closer. It isn’t Lance, Seleste.”

Her arm slowly dropped and she took a step back, lips quavering.

And during all of that, Haggar’s amusement had pierced her mask, smile widening cruelly.

Shiro, features drawn but plainly wearing sorrow, took a deep breath and straightened up:

“As much as we’d wish to explain our case to you, there was another reason for the urgency in which we called you here,” he said, before nodding sharply in Iverson’s direction.

With his deep and husky voice, Iverson picked up where Shiro had left, inviting them to look at the screen;

“Commander Shirogane was telling us about the enemies they’ve encountered during their journey, enemies who have taken over Altea,” he explained, only taking a quick glance at Lance’s nephews, deadly quiet. “The small hick is: they’re Altean, but they don’t come from here. Our universe is attacked by people from another reality.”

The McClains, usually so enthusiast, had withdrawn into their mourning, and their only reaction was a slight frown. Pidge remembered how Lance could tell many stories, embellished tales of adventures, and suddenly she wasn’t so surprised that his family had been so easily convinced about alternate realities.

“And then,” Iverson continued, “we received this.”

He sat down while the screen lit up, wearing a serious, yet resolute expression. Behind him, the image of an alternate Altean, the first one they’d seen on Altea, came alive.

“If you receive this call, consider yourself lucky you’ve been warned,” she said on her manipulative, corrupted tone. 

Struck with horror, the Paladins recognized the voice that had infiltrated the Castle, on Altea, and had threatened them to surrender. 

The Altean smirked, and went on:

“We sent this video to every planet with even a faint remaining of the signal of one of the Voltron Lions,” she sneered, tasting her victory. “And there are a lot; planets you rescued, planets on which you fought or found shelter in the last ten years, and more… We, purest of Alteans, have the power to track our call through the universe, and we won’t hesitate to sap the life force out of those who heard our message, but haven’t done anything about it, on their free will.”

Most people in the room were alerted at this point, and many of those had risen, clenching their fists and ready to destroy the woman’s mocking expression. But the alternate Alteans had planned their acts well, and this was just a screen. 

“We ask only one thing of you: bring us Voltron.” The Altean’s tone had gone from honeyed to harsh, commanding, and her features hardened. “Bring us Voltron, and your people will be saved from the new Altean regime, as you would have proven us your intentions were peaceful, your choices at our advantage. If you don’t, enjoy your last moments of freedom, because what are you without a will?”

Even Pidge had to refrain herself from spitting on the screen, or yelling to it, or both. The Altean’s pleasure was so savage, so disgusting it made her nauseous.

“Voltron, if you hear us, don’t be a fool.” Condescending, the Altean fell back into her seat. The Paladins recognized with outrage one of the Castle’s room behind her. “You can’t fight us, our intelligence would crush you. Surrender to us now, or we will consider your whole universe guilty of your actions and let it crumble against ours. You have three days to come to Altea.”

The screen went black, and silence fell.

And at that exact moment, Haggar started screaming. It was shrilling, it was raucous, it was unbearable, piercing through the core. Several men and women plugged their ears in a groan, eyelids tight and desperate to escape the witch’s curse. Pidge, eyes wide, turned a dreadful look towards Hunk, who just stared back, as terrified as her, hands protecting his ears. 

The scream went on and on, for longer than a normal human is capable of. Haggar had grasped Lance’s chest, his hair, his arms, trying to tear the clothes apart, scratching his skin and flesh as to free her soul through his blood. It was becoming madness, mutilation.

Seeing this, Keith jumped forward, but the witch was unstoppable: struggling savagely, she started scratching and hitting and kicking everything that went close to her. Keith had grabbed Lance by the shoulders, but he wasn’t impervious to the storm, receiving several blows on the chin and the chest. 

But, as the Paladins and many officers rushed to help, they realized Keith wasn’t only holding the witch back: he was supporting her.

It took several attempts and five men to hold Haggar down. Even on the floor, she kept struggling against their strength. And always, always screaming.

Pidge had knelt to Lance’s side, and she hadn’t noticed the tears flowing on her cheeks. Her blood had run cold and shudders were running through her spine; Lance’s eyes were closed, but they glowed so bright that purple was piercing through his eyelids. Droplets of blood wept from the wounds Haggar had made on his face and neck, and his features were twisted in a wince of pain.

And pain was the exact feeling burning everyone’s core at that moment.

But then, the scream stopped abruptly, even though they could still hear its echo in the air. Under their hands, Lance’s body went limp, and his head fell back with a thud on the hard ground. Keith immediately picked it up, carefully, and they stared, fear and apprehension freezing their being.

Until Lance’s eyes opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miss Lance already? ;)
> 
> The machine was really hard to describe (I'm so bad with technologies!) and I needed help of my friends to give me names of pieces and everything. And then, I don't think it's very clear. 
> 
> So here is what's given me inspiration for it! https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ZZUkA1z41sl65XZwNzGH1EyHtAke3Kh8x0uMrBa7U4
> 
> This is from the t.v show Fringe (sooooo good; parallel universes and realities right there!). And not only the machine: Fringe gave me several ideas for this story. 
> 
> I highly recommend it, and again, thank you so much for sticking with me! I love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Any thoughts?
> 
> If you have any critics or details that you'd like to see a closure to, or a development or whatever, please tell me in the comments or write me on my tumblr; I'll see what I can do about it, and I'll give you all the credits for the idea in the End Notes.
> 
> Please, do not post this work anywhere else.
> 
> My tumblr account: dreams-in-heart


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